Boulder — Investigators found evidence that a vintage military plane that crashed in July suffered engine failure after at least some of the oil had drained out through open valves.
A mechanic found two pools of oil where the twin-engine Beech C-45H had been parked before taking off from Platte Valley Airpark and a trail of oil leading to the runway, a National Transportation Safety Board report said.
Investigators found evidence the engines “had failed catastrophically due to oil starvation.” The report said the oil drain valve was open on one engine and nearly closed on the other.
The report doesn’t list a probable cause of the crash. That will be included in the next and final report on the crash from the NTSB, spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said Tuesday.
Pilot Stanley Peterson was seriously injured in the crash and co-pilot David Gianakos suffered minor injuries. The 56-year-old plane was destroyed.
The plane’s owner, the Commemorative Air Force of Midland, Texas, said the oil drain valves are opened and collection containers are attached to the plane after flights to prevent hydraulic lock and allow the oil to drain.
The pilot told the NTSB that the valves were open during preflight operations but that he though they had been closed before takeoff.
The Commemorative Air Force said either Peterson failed to close the valves or they jammed in the open position. Commemorative Air Force officials told investigators the latter wasn’t likely “because you can feel the valve move when you close it.”
