A Champion 7EC airplane crashed into Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, killing the pilot, on Oct. 7, 2024.
Investigators looking into what caused a deadly plane crash earlier this month at Eagle Mountain Lake say they've found no flight data associated with the flight.
The National Transportation and Safety Board released a preliminary crash report Thursday, saying a search revealed no Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data associated with the flight.
ADS-B is a system that broadcasts information about an aircraft's location, altitude, ground speed and other data to ground stations and other aircraft. Sending ADS-B Out data is required when flying in most areas, including within the Class B airspace around North Texas.
The NTSB report said the single-engine Champion 7EC aircraft appeared structurally intact before crashing under clear skies into the water at about 12:40 p.m. Surveillance footage from a home on the lake recorded the plane gradually descending at about a 45-degree angle and hitting the water.
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The NTSB said the plane came to rest nose down in about 10 feet of water. The crash caused substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings, though the NTSB said most of the plane could be recovered from the lake and moved offsite for future examination. The right wing and part of the aircraft's engine were not removed from the water.
Investigators have not yet said what caused the plane to crash and the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet published the pilot's cause of death.
The pilot's family told the NTSB he was flying out of Flying Oaks Airport, a private grass strip in Fort Worth about three miles southwest of the lake. The family said the pilot departed to have lunch at an unknown location and was expected to return to Flying Oaks.
FAA records showed the pilot owned the aircraft since 2004 and was last issued a medical certificate in 2008.
