11/2/12 - An initial report has been made into the fatal crash of a single-engine plane at the Brighton Airport in September, but offers no obvious clues as to what may have gone wrong. The preliminary report was issued Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board into September 1st crash of an Aeronca 7AC propeller-driven aircraft that killed a female passenger from Costa Rica and seriously injured the pilot, 79-year-old Walter Davenport of Brighton. The report says that witnesses observed a normal warm-up of the engine and takeoff, but that shortly afterward, the engine did not sound like it was developing full power and the airplane was struggling to climb. The airplane was then seen to turn and descend with its nose downward, crashing in swampy terrain approximately 1,000 feet from the end of the runway. An examination of the airplane showed no obvious faults with the flight controls. The carburetor float was undamaged, and the fuel intake screen was clear. While the carburetor float bowl contained both fuel and water, that isnât necessarily a possible cause for engine failure as the plane was partially submerged in water. The wreckage from the crash remains stored in a hangar at the airport while the NTSB completes its investigation, which could take some time. Davenport, who is a retired Michigan State Police detective sergeant, has since been released from the hospital and continues to recover from his injuries. (JK)
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