The National Transportation Safety Board has released preliminary findings into what happened when a small plane crashed and killed its pilot shortly after takeoff from the Chandler Municipal Airport.
The pilot, Sharnell Tamieko Vernon, 53, was pronounced dead by firefighters responding in the area of Hamilton and Queen Creek roads to the July 28 crash of the Piper PA-28-180, N9062J.
The crash happened at 7:49 p.m., a minute after the plane made a runway departure with the aircraft approximately reaching an 1,800 feet elevation, according to the Aug. 18 NTSB report. The plane was flying about 51 mph and plummeted at a rate of 130 feet per minute, according to the report.
What was the immediate aftermath of the crash?
The plane crashed into a commercial plumbing supply yard that's within a mile
of the runway, the report said.
The forward fuselage, or the front part of plane, was on the concrete lot with the engine, fuselage, cabin, wings and empennage showing "extensive thermal damage," the report said. Chandler firefighters extinguished the plane's fire and found the pilot, spokesperson Battalion Chief Jeff West said at the time of the crash.
"They just departed, looks like they went down right off the departure end," a witness told air traffic control in a recording from when the crash happened, adding that smoke was emanating from the scene.
What comes next in the Chandler crash investigation?
The crash investigation was categorized as Class 3, the report showed. "Class 3 investigations seek to identify safety issues that reveal underlying cause(s) of the accident," according to an NTSB description online.
A final report on the crash's probable cause could take 12 to 24 months to complete. Investigators will examine the plane and flight conditions and collect air traffic control recordings, radar data, weather reports, witness accounts, video and any electronic devices. The plane's maintenance history, the pilot's license, ratings and recent flight experience will also come under review.
The NTSB asked anyone with video or other information to contact the agency at witness@ntsb.gov.
The flight was defined as "personal" in the NTSB report. The Piper PA-28 is a four-seat, single propeller-driven aircraft.
Who was the pilot killed in the crash?
Though authorities have not released the name of the pilot killed in the crash, people who knew Vernon and who were interviewed by The Arizona Republic said she was the pilot in the crash. As of Aug. 18, Vernon's cause and manner of death were listed as pending on the Office of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's website.
Vernon was a mother, a professional photographer and a breast cancer survivor, those who knew her told The Republic.
Republic reporters Rey Covarrubias Jr. and Corina Vanek contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Early findings released in deadly Chandler plane crash
