DENVER (AP) - Federal investigators say the sole engine of an amateur-built propeller plane that crashed in northern Colorado, killing two men, had been making strange noises before the aircraft took off.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the pilot sought a mechanic’s help with the Wheeler Express airplane because he was experiencing difficulty with the engine in the hours before the Feb. 11, 2015, crash. One witness told investigators the engine sounded like it was backfiring.
The Denver Post reports https://goo.gl/TpT64m 79-year-old John “Jack” Burt, of Aurora, and 65-year-old Richard LaCourse, of Denver, took off from the municipal airport in Greeley, and the plane crashed after rising just a few hundred feet.
The NTSB is expected to rule on a probable cause of the crash in a final report.
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Information from: The Denver Post, https://www.denverpost.com
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