GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Federal investigators completed their investigation into a plane crash at a Jenison airfield that left two people injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its final report on the July 8 crash at Riverview Airport in Georgetown Township.
An 84-year-old pilot and an 83-year-old passenger were taking off in a Cessna 177 when it hit trees and splashed down in a nearby pond. The 84-year-old told investigators his passenger grabbed the flight controls during takeoff and put the aircraft into a "maximum performance climb attitude,” according to the report.
The pilot released control to the passenger, who then leveled off his climb and banked left. At that point the airplane hit several trees, causing the Cessna to fall into the water, per investigators.
Both men were injured and the plane suffered "substantial" damage in the crash.
The men were pulled from the wreckage by a fisherman and another man working in a nearby hanger.
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The pilot told the NTSB there was no mechanical failure or malfunction with the aircraft before the 83-year-old took control. In it's probable cause finding, the NTSB determined there were two major factors in the crash: the pilot's failure to maintain control; and lack of separation from trees during takeoff.
