LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The pilot of a small plane over western Kentucky lost sight of the airport and reported the right engine had stopped shortly before the plane crashed and killed everyone aboard except a 7-year-old girl, according to a preliminary report.
The National Transportation Safety Board's report says air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane around 5:55 p.m., about five minutes after the pilot had asked for assistance because of engine problems. The pilot's last contact with controllers was that he had lost sight of the airport.
The plane landed upside down with the landing gear retracted. The crash killed Marty Gutzler; his wife, Kimberly; their daughter Piper; and her cousin, Sierra Wilder. The couple's daughter, Sailor, survived the crash.
Licensed commercial pilot Marty Gutzler was also killed when the Piper PA-34 crashed.
