The preliminary report and 911 calls have been released on the experimental plane that crashed into a North Las Vegas home last Friday, killing three.
The report confirms what Eyewitness News reported on Monday -- that the plane had had major engine work done before the crash that killed the pilot and the two people in the home. It is a preliminary report and does not give a final cause for the crash, that will take several months.
What it does say is that there were major modifications to the engine. The owner added a supercharger to increase engine power. Friday morning was the first flight to test it. Eyewitnesses heard the engine rev, then cut off.
Listen to the 911 calls
The coroner's office has identified 80-year-old Jack Costa as the third victim of the crash. He died from the aircraft collision, carbon monoxide poisoning and inhaling combustible materials. 76-year-old Lucy Costa also died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home. The pilot, 76-year-old Mack Murphree, Junior, died on impact.
NTSB investigators say he not only held a pilot's license, he also had a plane mechanic's license, a flight engineer certificate and an instructor's license. He logged more than 6,000 flight hours.
Read the NTSB preliminary report of the airplane accident
The report says the tower observed that he was not gaining altitude and radioed the plane. The pilot answered saying, "I'm going down. I'm going down." At just before 6:30 a.m. Friday, the plane dove into a house near Lake Mead and Simmons.
It took more than a dozen firefighters to put out the fire.
"You can imagine the general fire problem that we have. We have not only the regular burning materials in a building, but we have this fuel. That makes the fire more difficult," said North Las Vegas Fire Chief Al Gillespie.
The burned parts of the house have been cut away and construction crews boarded up the rest of the building.
The plane log book said it had 5.1 hours of flight time. The FAA requires a total of 25 hours in a rural area before being allowed to fly anywhere in the U.S.
The plane would have been fine to take off from the North Las Vegas Airport, according to the FAA, if it was certified to fly. Experimental planes with five hours flight time can take off and go to a rural area to finish another 20 hours of flight testing.
The plane was certified to fly back on March 9, 2008. Then the owner added a supercharger.
FAA regulations say you must get re-certified after a major change to the engine. There was no second certification.
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The crash caused the house to erupt into flames.
