NTSB Preliminary Report: Pilot in Fatal Westerly Crash Was on Post-Maintenance Test Flight
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the fatal December 21 crash at Westerly State Airport. The pilot, Robert C. McKenna III, was conducting a post-maintenance test flight in a Beechcraft C24R Sierra. The report indicates that maintenance involving the removal and reinstallation of the flight control system had just been completed. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed air traffic control that he was having a problem and described the controls as 'goofy.' The aircraft subsequently entered a descending left turn and crashed, with the investigation ongoing.
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