MESA, Ariz. — No engine anomalies were detected in the flight data for a plane that crashed last month at Mesa's Falcon Field Airport and resulted in the deaths of five people, according to a new report.
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the fiery crash reported on Nov. 5 at the East Valley airport. A pilot and four passengers were flying to Utah for a college basketball game when the plane struck a perimeter fence and hit a car on the roadway.
Four people in the Honda HA-420 plane died, in addition to a person inside the vehicle.
NTSB investigators examined the wreckage at the scene and found there was no evidence of any parts separating from the plane before it hit the fence, according to the report.
The report further shows that "no anomalies" were noted in an examination of the plane's brake and anti-skid system. Flight log data for the crash was recovered, which showed the airplane accelerated to about 130 knots during takeoff before it began to decelerate.
"Security video captured the airplane accelerating on runway 22L until about 3,000 ft from the approach end of the runway (about 2,100 ft of runway remaining)," the NTSB report states. "The airplane subsequently began to decelerate and overran the departure end of the runway near centerline."
The information contained in the NTSB is subject to change as the investigation continues.