HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says a Sept. 7 fatal plane crash occurred when the aircraft was returning to a southern Nevada airport after appearing to struggle to gain altitude and then reporting that a door was open.
The NTSB preliminary report said the pilot and instructor were killed and two passengers were killed when the plane nose-dived into the ground while returning to Henderson Executive Airport.
The preliminary report said the same aircraft that crashed the evening of Sept. 7 left the airport that morning but had to return, with one person aboard telling an airport employee that it was too hot for the single-engine plane to climb to get over mountains.
The NTSB will later release a final report likely including a conclusion on what caused the crash.