A single-engine plane crash near Centennial Airport earlier this month that killed the two people on board had its engine stop before the incident, according to a preliminary report.
The early morning plane ride on Sept. 5 was an instructional flight, according to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot receiving instruction planned to purchase a similar airplane to the Beech P35 plane they were flying.
Perry “Matt” Feeney, 52, of Arvada and Lee “Rob” Hill, 64, of Greenwood Village were the pilot and passenger of the plane. The report does not specify who was receiving instruction.
No distress calls were recorded from either pilot, the report said.
A firefighter about 1.5 miles south of the crash heard the airplane fly overhead and then heard the engine stop completely, the report said. A woman who lives in a nearby neighborhood said she was walking when she saw the airplane flying on a different flight path and lower than she normally saw.
“She heard the engine go silent and looked up to observe the airplane in a ‘hard’ left bank towards the airport and in a descent,” the report read.
She thought the airplane was conducting training as it appeared normal, she said.
Just before hitting the ground, the plane banked right, according to camera footage from surrounding businesses.
The plane hit a paved driveway of an industrial facility, the report said. Portions of the right wing fell to the south of the debris path and the left wing was fractured.
The report said it appeared the plane collided with several concrete barriers. The landing gear and flaps were both found retracted, the report said.
The plane was retained for further examination, the report said.
The plane caught fire during the crash, causing a threat to a nearby structure and a large generator, county officials said. The incident was first reported as an explosion, and first responders contained that fire soon after.
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