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NTSB report gives insight into moments leading up to fatal Maitland plane crash

By Kelly Healey

The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary incident report about a small plane crash in Maitland that killed two people.

By Kelly Healey
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary incident report about a small plane crash in Maitland that killed two people.
The report gives insight into the moments leading up to the plane crashing into Lake Maitland two weeks ago.
The victims were identified as Stanley Rampey, 67, and Raymond Dodd, 79. Both were from Seneca, South Carolina, investigators said.
The pilot was forced to land when he ran into fuel problems while in the air, the report said.

MAITLAND, Fla. — Read: Bodies recovered after plane crashes into Lake Maitland

Investigators said the plane that sank in the lake after the crash obtained “substantial damage," but many parts of the plane were still intact, including the fuel tank.
The investigation revealed that the plane departed from a South Carolina airport on June 12, with four hours of fuel on board, heading to Orlando.

The FAA said the Cessna 182 then left the Orlando Executive Airport and headed for Massey Ranch Airpark in New Smyrna Beach.

Radar data shows the flight to Orlando took a little more than three hours, and the pilot did not purchase fuel in Orlando before departing for the airport in New Smyrna Beach.
It was on that route that the pilot declared an emergency at 10:59 a.m., and told air traffic control, "the airplane was not getting fuel out of the right tank."

Read: Plane lands on I-4 ramp near Maitland

The pilot was directed to return to Orlando Executive Airport, where the controller cleared him to land on Runway 13, but the pilot did not respond, and no further communications were received from the plane, the report said.
Witnesses said they heard the engine sputtering before it "went straight into the water and hit very hard," according to the report.
The Cessna 182 was found at a depth of 20 feet, the report said.
Investigators also said, "two gallons of fuel were removed from each wing tank and the single auxiliary tank."
The NTSB is working on the final report to determine the cause of the crash.

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