VIENNA, Ohio — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the fatal plane crash earlier this month at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport (YNG) in Trumbull County.
The plane, flown by 54-year-old Jawdat Khawam of Laval, Quebec with 45-year-old Martine Aresenault and 8-year-old Daphne Khawam aboard as passengers, left Plattsburgh, New York at 4:51 p.m. on July 19 and was bound for John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
According to the NTSB, about 50 miles northeast of Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, the pilot informed air traffic control that the left engine on his Beech B-60 airplane had lost power and he could not maintain altitude. Khawam requested to land at YNG with its 9,000-foot-long runway.
A witness told investigators that as the airplane approached the runway, it was coming in "higher than normal." The plane was then seen descending toward the runway, but did not touch down.
"At the end of runway 32, the airplane pitched up rapidly to the left and began to “flip.” The airplane then descended below his (witness) field of view and crashed," the NTSB noted in its report.
The crash happened at approximately 7:04 p.m.
The NTSB says a "postaccident fire consumed a majority of the wreckage." However, "all structural components of the airplane were found within the wreckage debris path. The airplane's landing gear was found in the extended (down position)."
The wreckage was "retained for further examination."
In the report, the NTSB stated that Jawdat Khawam owned and operated the plane and was licensed as a private pilot in both the U.S. and Canada.