A twin-engine plane caught on fire before it crashed last month in Loveland and killed the pilot, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Thomas Lawson, 69, of Golden, was the pilot of the Beechcraft 60 who died in the May 15 crash near the Northern Colorado Regional Airport, according to the Larimer County Coroner’s Office.
Lawson told air traffic controllers that he had smoke in the cockpit of the plane and an engine was out before the crash, emergency radio communications indicate.
The NTSB preliminary report, released May 28, doesn’t identify what caused the crash. The investigation is ongoing.
The general aviation plane took off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield at about 12:30 p.m., about 18 minutes prior to the crash.
Lawson’s plane turned toward the runway but collided with terrain, the report stated. The plane was destroyed after hitting the ground next to the airport’s perimeter fence and catching fire. Debris could be seen northwest of the Larimer Humane Society at 3501 E. 71st St. in Loveland, .
The NTSB report said that another pilot flying at the same time reported over the radio that Lawson’s plane was on fire.
