NEW ORLEANS – Investigators with the National Transportation and Safety Board have issued preliminary findings of their investigation into the fatal plane crash that took the life of award winning journalist Nancy Parker and pioneering stunt pilot Franklin Augustus.
Augustus notified the tower at Lakefront Airport that the plane, a Aerotek Pitts S-2B, was having problems shortly after takeoff, according to the NTSB.
“Witnesses reported observing the airplane appeared to have engine problems shortly after take-off,” according to a statement by the NTSB. “According to witnesses the airplane then pitched down and struck the ground. Much of the wreckage was consumed in a post-crash fire.”
NTSB investigators have secured the site and will continue to recover, document, and examine physical evidence.
A full report will be released within the next two weeks, according to the NTSB.
Witnesses to the crash or those with information relevant to the investigation are urged to contact the NTSB by email at witness@ntsb.gov.
Read the full statement below:
