LAKE STEVENS — The 80-year-old man who died in a plane crash at a private air park last week was taking a flight lesson, according to initial results of the federal investigation into the mishap.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board suggests the plane did not have enough power during takeoff, causing the pilot to lose control. The crash happened at Frontier Airpark, a private aviation community in the Getchell area of north Snohomish County.
Robert Elder of Camano Island died in the crash. Pilot and certified flight instructor Greg Teufel, 66, was seriously injured. Teufel was in satisfactory condition Friday afternoon at Harborview Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The safety board released its initial findings last week and is continuing to investigate before drafting a final report.
“An eyewitness to the accident reported that during the airplane’s initial climb it did not seem to be producing power, and at an altitude of about 200 feet above ground level, the airplane drifted to the right of the runway,” according to the preliminary report. The witness stated that the plane seemed to pitch up and “the wings rocked back and forth from side to side” before it descended, nose down, toward a stand of trees.
Two other witnesses agreed that the plane did not seem to be producing enough power as it took off, and it quickly began to dip and weave.
Elder was in the left seat, Teufel in the right.
The plane went down a little after 3:30 p.m. Saturday. It was an amateur-built experimental Tifft Kitfox III, according to the safety board. It crashed about 3,000 feet from where it took off, coming to rest on its nose and left wing.
The airplane has been stored during the investigation, and all crucial pieces were located at the crash site, according to the safety board’s report.
The Frontier Airpark Board of Directors is choosing not to comment on the crash, President Jacqueline Kaye said.
Frontier Airpark is a gated flying community with private runways. It was established in 1982. Directors declined to say whether this is the first crash at the airpark. The National Transportation Safety Board does not report any other accidents there.
Kari Bray: kbray@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3439.
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