SUFFOLK, Va. — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals new details in a Suffolk plane crash that killed two people.
That crash happened on Jan. 7 in the 3900 block of Carolina Road, about two miles from the North Carolina state line.
Two men from North Carolina -- Christian Fauchald, 54, and Eric Bergevin, 53 -- died in the crash.
The NTSB report says a mechanic told the pilot not to fly the plane until he could further investigate an engine anomaly. When the crash happened, the plane had not yet been released from maintenance.
In the days leading up to the crash, the mechanic replaced and reinstalled the engines spark plugs, but a ground run of the engine revealed the fixes had not repaired the airplane. Investigators say the mechanic knew "right away" the spark plugs did not correct the problem.
"Similar to the engine in your car knocking, meaning the timing of your sparkplugs firing is off. It reduces your engine’s performance, a failure in your car. But it’s nothing like the consequences in an airplane. If a car engine quits on you, you can roll to the side of the road. But if you’re in an airplane, it’s going down," commercial pilot and flight instructor Robert Katz told 13News Now Friday, who added the manufacturer's investigation into the engine will be the next lengthy part of the process.
The report also mentions that the pilot had just received his license roughly two months ago. The pilot owned the plane, a Piper PA28, and based it at the departure airport, Northeast Regional Airport (EDE), in Edenton, North Carolina.
“Rare I see it laid out so plainly in a preliminary report," Katz added.
According to the report, the pilot contacted a mechanic on Jan. 1 because "the rpm drop was excessive during a magneto check." The mechanic was scheduled to look at the plane days after the crash happened.
The crash led to a 35-acre brush fire and threatened homes in the area.
You can read the full NTSB report below: