A light-plane crash near Ridgway in 2014 was caused by the pilot’s loss of control as he prepared to land, the National Transportation Safety Board says.
The single-engine, 1996 model fixed-wing Socata TBM700 entered a stall and plunged into Ridgway Reservoir on March 22, 2014.
The NTSB released its probable-cause report on the crash Wednesday, adding that investigators were unable to determine why exactly the pilot lost control .
“Although the pilot appeared to be managing the flight appropriately during the initial descent, it could not be determined why he was unable to navigate to the approach fixes and maintain control of the airplane as he turned toward the airport and continued the descent,” the report said.
killed Jimmy L. Hill, 48, president of Gadsden Tool; his cousin Seth McDuffie, 14; Katrina Vinzant Barksdale, 40; and her two sons, Xander, 8, and Kobe, 11.
All were from Gadsden, Ala., where the flight originated.
The report did not explicitly say who was flying the plane at the time of crash, thought it indicated Hill was the pilot.
The crash happened about 25 miles from the Montrose airport. The airplane came to rest inverted about 60 feet below the surface of Ridgway Reservoir, near the eastern shore, investigators found.
Witnesses who were attending a wedding onshore saw the plane spin into Mears Bay in the northeast corner of the 1,030-acre reservoir in Ridgway State Park.
