Federal report suggests airplane crash at Lake Tahoe that killed 5 may have experienced fuel problems
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Fri, 10/12/2012 - 8:32pm
The airplane that crashed and killed five people after takeoff from Lake Tahoe Airport on August 25 may have experienced problems with a fuel and air mixture after landing earlier in the day at the airport, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The report does not determine the cause but states that after the airplane left Fresno and landed at the Lake Tahoe Airport it experienced trouble. As it was taxiing to the ramp the airplane's engine "shut down and it took numerous attempts for the pilots to restart it. Upon parking, the pilots reported to the attendants that the airplane’s fuel/air mixture was difficult to establish at such a high density altitude and that if you operate the engine too lean its temperature will exceed normal operation parameters."
The evening of the crash, the occupants returned to the airport with the intention of flying back to Fresno, where the airplane was based. One of pilots made a radio transmission on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (UNICOM) stating that they were departing runway 36 and making a “straight out over the lake departure and then a crosswind departure to the left,” the report stated.
A review of the recorded security camera footage at the airport revealed that the airplane could be seen in the nighttime conditions by a blinking light. The airplane appeared to depart from runway 36 and near the end of the runway began an ascent. The light appeared to level off and then a flash of light occurs in the area of the accident site, the report stated.
Several witnesses reported hearing the airplane depart and noticed that the engine noise sounded labored, as if it was not producing full power. The airplane impacted trees north of the departure end of runway 36.
The five occupants who died were from the Fresno area. They were Harold Cardwell, 60, Kin Cardwell, 41, Francisco De La Mora, 43, Lorena De La Mora, 39, and Esmeralda De La Mora, 6.
Read the preliminary report below.
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