NTSB releases preliminary report on Fla. crash

NTSB report says problems started just after takeoff in central Fla. crash that killed pilot

Published On: Feb 21 2013 08:09:56 AM EST
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -

The pilot who died in a plane crash had only reached 300 feet when he called out "Mayday" shortly after takeoff from New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport.

That's according to National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the Feb. 13 crash.

Officials cleared 56-year-old Paul Rooy for landing on any runway. But the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports witnesses told investigators the airplane was in a left wind down bank when it hit a tree and power lines before striking another tree. It landed in a cow pasture just west of the airport.

Rooy had not filed a flight plan.

NTSB says all "major components" of the plane were present at the crash scene.

It could take a year for the agency to complete the full report.

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