NTSB: Detached Part May Have Caused Plane Crash
WESTMINSTER, Md. (AP) -- Federal officials say a detached part on a small airplane's tail may have caused its crash in Westminster that killed the pilot.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a factual report last month on the June 15, 2012 crash at Carroll County Regional Airport. Sixty-four-year-old Henry Judkins of Rockville, who was flying the single-engine, light sport aircraft, was killed.
The Carroll County Times reports that Judkins had taken off from Frederick Municipal Airport on his way to a New York airport. The report says that Judkins radioed that the plane's elevator had become detached. A plane elevator is on the tail of the airplane and controls the pitch of the plane.
The NTSB says Judkins' plane crashed into the ground about 60 feet before reaching the runway.
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