HARLAN, Ky. — On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on a fatal plane crash in Kentucky. A doctor who traveled from Tennessee to Kentucky died in the crash. According to the report, he was the pilot and the only person on board.
They said the crash happened on Nov. 3 at around 10:09 a.m. when it crashed into the ground near the Tucker-Guthrie Memorial Airport. They said the pilot, David Sanford, left Knoxville Downtown Island Airport at around 9:32 a.m.
The plane arrived at the airport are at around 10 a.m., according to the report. They said the plane started flying an airport traffic pattern for runway 8, and a total of three approaches were made toward the runaway. The last one ended around 0.1 nautical miles away from the runway threshold.
A witness said they heard the plane complete two approaches to runway 8 at around 10 a.m. However, the witness also said they never saw the airplane due to morning fog.
He said the first approach seemed to be high, but he said the second approach was "really low." He also said the plane's engine noise was a steady piston-engine sound, with no noticeable change.
He said he did not hear any sort of boom, or the plane impacting the ground. The report said that at the time of the accident, fog restricted visibility to around 175 feet. They also said that a Notice to Air Mission was in effect noting that all airport lighting was out of service.
The NTSB said the plane crashed into a steep rock wall around 50 feet below and 375 feet before runway 8.
They said Sanford had a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He was also issued a third-class medical certificate, reporting a total of 2,315 flight hours.
Sanford routinely flew to Harlan and Middlesboro to see patients, Harlan County Coroner Philip Bianchi told reporters at the Lexington Herald-Leader. He was previously from Middlesboro.