Report reveals new details about Upper Captiva plane crash in March

UPPER CAPTIVA, Fla. —

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report about the Upper Captiva plane crash that happened on March 21 with five people on board.

According to the NTSB's report, the plane, a Cessna T206H, suffered substantial damage in the crash, and the pilot and four passengers aboard had minor injuries.

The report states that the plane was bought by the pilot/owner brand new in November. After it was returned to the manufacturer's factory for inspection, repair and test flights, the plane returned to service and to the pilot on March 11.

The pilot had operated the plane multiple times in the days before the crash happened with no issues during takeoffs and landings from paved and soft-field airways. The NTSB said the plane was departing from Salty Approach Airport on the day of the crash.

The report explains that the pilot attempted a soft-field takeoff on a 1,800-ft-long, 100-ft-wide, turf runway. The pilot reported that the airplane remained on the runway longer than expected, and did not achieve a normal liftoff within the anticipated distance.

As the plane approached the end of the runway, the pilot attempted to lift off, but the plane became airborne and drifted laterally, impacting terrain and obstacles off the runway, the report explained.

A witness video was reviewed and the NTSB said it showed that for most of the takeoff, the plane's tail dragged along the runway. The plane appeared to become airborne, went right, exited the right side of the runway and hit trees near the end of the runway.

The plane came to rest upright and had damage to both wings and the right horizontal stabilizer, the NTSB said in its report.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.