TOLEDO, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary accident report regarding the Sept. 11 crash of a cargo plane near Toledo Express Airport that killed both pilots on board.
The deceased crew members were identified as Douglas R. Taylor, 72, and Donald C. Peterson Sr., 69, both of Laredo, Texas. Port authority official said the plane, a Convair CV-440, was owned by Barker Aeromotive, Inc., and was loaded with automotive parts.
According to the NTSB, at 2:39 a.m., a Convair 440 airplane, N24DR, hit trees and then the ground while on final approach to runway 25 at Toledo Express. The accident site was located about a half mile from the runway arrival point in Monclova. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and a postimpact fire.
The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Ferreteria E Implementos San Francisco as a non-scheduled cargo flight. The flight was being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan, the NTSB said.
The flight originated from the Millington-Memphis Airport in Millington, Tennessee, at 12:14 a.m. EST, bound for Toledo.
According to the operator, the flight crew initially departed Laredo International Airport about 7:38 p.m. the evening before the accident and arrived at Millington about 11:10 p.m. The airplane was refueled before departing on the flight that resulted in the accident.
About 39 miles southwest of Toledo Express Airport, the airplane entered a cruise descent in preparation for approach and landing. The flight crew was subsequently cleared to land at 2:35 a.m. when the airplane was about 5 miles southeast of the airport.
The pilot acknowledged the landing clearance; however, no further communications were received. The airplane ultimately became established on final approach for runway 25 before radar contact was lost.
No problems or anomalies were reported during the flight. The airplane struck trees beginning less than a quarter-mile east of the accident site and about 0.65-mile northeast of the runway arrival threshold. The initial strikes were about 55 feet above ground level. Multiple tree breaks were observed along the flight path through the wooded area east of the accident site.
A ground impact scar was located west of the wooded area and led to the accident site. The impact path was oriented on a westerly heading. The airplane came to rest in a parking lot about 0.50-mile from the threshold and near the extended centerline of the runway.
Multiple fire departments from different counties in the area were called to work on the fire.
