The audio of the pilot communicating with the air traffic controller was provided by Live ATC. NTSB investigator Tom Latson said the rocket motor deployed but the parachute never did and it’s unclear whether the deployment was before or during the crash.
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Investigators say it looks as though there was an attempt to deploy a parachute on the aircraft, but it did not launch in time to make a difference.
“There was a great big loud noise, like a bomb and a real screechy noise”.
“(The plane) was in a flat spin before the moment of impact”, Latson said. Houston Fire department Capt. Ruy Lozano says there was no HazMat spill or fire as a result of the crash.
The NTSB and the FAA will be back on scene Friday morning to continue the investigation along with representatives from the aircraft and engine manufacturers.
A witness, Nicole Andrews, told KPRC 2 that she was stopped in traffic on Telephone when she saw the plane on top of what appeared to be a black Honda Accord in the parking lot of an Ace Hardware store.
After a second unsuccessful attempt to land about five minutes later, the pilot is told her plane is too high and she’ll have to try a third landing attempt. It was after that when she was instructed to land at Runway 35, which was when the crash occurred.
Just before the crash, a traffic controller says: “Ma’am, ma’am, straighten up, straighten up”.
The cause of the crash is still unknown.
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The plane is registered in Moore, Oklahoma and was headed from Norman, Oklahoma to Hobby. Officials with Safe Aviation could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday, and a phone listing for the company could not be found. “It had crashed on top of a vehicle”.
