By Associated Press - Tuesday, August 8, 2017

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Federal investigators say mechanical failure likely didn’t play a role in a plane crash that killed a pilot and flight instructor near an airport in Topeka, Kansas.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the National Transportation Safety Board says in a preliminary report that investigators found “no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation” of the 1965 Piper PA-30 before it went down July 31 near Philip Billard Municipal Airport.

The crash killed 61-year-old pilot William Leeds of Topeka and 55-year-old flight instructor James Bergman of Leawood.

The newspaper reports that Leeds was an experienced pilot who was working on a new multi-engine land airplane rating for his pilot certificate, and that the crash happened during a practice flight a day before his scheduled examination.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, https://www.cjonline.com

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide