No signs of preimpact failures before fatal small plane crash in Colorado, NTSB preliminary findings show

A small plane that was attempting an emergency landing earlier this month in a Denver-area neighborhood clipped a tree and slid hundreds of feet down a road before it struck a car and burst into flames. That's according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report about the crash in Arvada that killed one person and injured three others. The report indicates there were no signs of preimpact failures before the plane went down.  

The single engine plane took off from Centennial Airport in the morning on June 7 and was headed to Northern Colorado Regional Airport. About 10 minutes after departure, the pilot radioed that he was having engine oil pressure problems with the plane and wanted to divert to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.

The pilot then decided to force a landing on a roadway in a residential area in Arvada. Witnesses say the airplane was flying low, and the engine did not sound normal. Some said they saw white smoke coming from it.

After the airplane's left wingtip clipped the tree next to Oberon Road, the plane then hit the roadway without its landing gear and slid 400 feet on its fuselage before hitting a parked vehicle, coming to a stop and bursting into flames.

The person who died was a passenger and her name was Melissa Brinkmann. The pilot and two other passengers were the ones who suffered serious injuries.

The three-page report states that officials found when they studied parts of the plane from the wreckage that "the cockpit instruments were destroyed by fire and could not be evaluated."

"No flight control cable separations indicating preimpact failures were found for any of the flight control systems," the NTSB report states. "No preimpact anomalies or structural failures were found with the airframe. No preimpact anomalies or structural failures were found with the airframe. Damages on the propeller blades showed evidence consistent of some degree of rotation at the time of impact."

"Examination of the engine revealed that the engine was partially attached to the engine mounts and firewall. The engine case was intact with no obvious holes or preimpact damage. The oil cap was on and secure. The oil quick drain was found in the closed position and was securely mounted to the oil pan with safety wire present. The propeller was rotated slightly to the left and right to see if the engine was seized. No further rotation was attempted to preserve any internal failure evidence. The engine was retained for further examination."

Brinkmann worked for the company Accenture.