VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It appears pilot error led to the crash which took the life a legendary Navy pilot.
Retired Captain Dale "Snort" Snodgrass was the commanding officer of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic at Naval Air Station Oceana.
After he retired, Snodgrass logged more than 6,500 hours of civilian flight time, performing at air shows around the county, including numerous times at Oceana.
Last July, he died while flying a Marchetti SM.109 in Lewiston, Idaho
In its final report, The National Transportation Safety Board concludes: "The pilot’s failure to remove the flight control lock before departure, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was his failure to perform an adequate preflight inspection and flight control check before takeoff."
The 72-year-old Snodgrass was often called the real-life "Maverick," because he was reportedly the inspiration for the character Tom Cruise plays in "Top Gun."