NTSB releases preliminary report on Fatal Harford County plane crash

BALTIMORE - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on a fatal plane crash in Harford County last month. 

Related Coverage: 

Pilot who crashed single-engine plane in Harford County identified

Harford County single-engine plane crash in open field leaves pilot dead

During pre-flight inspections at the Harford County Airport on July 25th, 59-year-old Major General Anthony Potts informed an aircraft mechanic of his plans for a cross-country flight that evening. 

Potts intended to fly the propeller plane in the airport traffic pattern.

Just seconds after Potts took to the skies in the Piper PA-28 plane, it crashed into an open field off Old Level Road. 

Potts was declared dead at the crash site, located approximately half a mile from the airport's departure runway.

Witness accounts provide chilling details of the accident. One individual reported hearing the plane's engine sound for about 45 seconds before the dreadful sound of impact. 

Another witness claimed the plane was flying alarmingly low, with its wings almost "perpendicular to the ground." Notably, neither witness mentioned any clear indications of engine malfunctions.

Highlighting a potentially significant development, the NTSB report revealed that an annual inspection of the plane was conducted just a day before the crash.  

During the inspection, a new propeller and interior were installed. 

The fatal flight was the first time the plane went airborne after its inspection.

Both the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are now investigating the crash. 

The NTSB expects to publish a comprehensive report along with safety recommendations within one to two years of the incident.