ATLANTA — Federal aviation investigators say a pilot told air traffic controllers that fuel pumps aboard the plane were failing before it plunged to the ground and caught fire near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, killing six people from Mississippi.
In a preliminary report on the crash released Thursday morning, the National Transportation Safety Board said the pilot reported one fuel pump failure and then, when he was a few miles from Tuscaloosa’s airport, reported that the plane lost “the other fuel pump.”
The twin-engine Piper, built in 1984, struck trees near the Tuscaloosa suburb of Northport as it attempted to land at Tuscaloosa’s airport August 14.
Six people killed were flying to Oxford, Mississippi, where they were from, before trying to land in Alabama because of the emergency.
Killed were Dr. Austin Poole and his wife, Angie Poole, who had a dental clinic in Clarksdale.
Dr. Michael Perry and his wife Kim Perry operated a dental clinic in Oxford as well as the Oxford-Lafayette Sportsplex.
Dr. Jason Farese and his wife Dr. Lea Farese. They were dentists at Farese Family Dental in Oxford.
All together, they leave behind 11 children, one of whom has updated people via her Facebook page.
The NTSB is continuing to investigate.
