SAN ANTONIO – With a landing like his, any chance of survival was slim, a local aviation expert said about a pilot who crashed his plane Wednesday on the South Side.
The National Transportation Safety Board finished day one of its investigation into the crash Thursday. New video showed investigators combing through the wreckage of the Cirrus SR 22.
The NTSB said it is searching for stress fractures and mechanical issues, while also reviewing air traffic chatter and maintenance records. It could be a year before they have a final answer.
An aviation expert tells KSAT 12 that a likely scenario is that the plane was in a "stall spin," meaning the right wing lost lift and dropped as it approached Stinson Municipal Airport for a landing.
"That's really a bad accident," said Hameed Afzal, owner and head instructor of Alpha Tango Flying Service, a San Antonio flight school.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that the aircraft might not have had the speed and angle necessary for smooth airflow and crashed 600 yards from the runway.
Flipping upside-down, it proved deadly for the pilot, who still hasn't been identified.
"There's nothing up there [on top of the plane] to absorb the shock, and then if it is going to come, it's going to come on somebody's head," Afzal said.
Why the single-engine airplane would lack power is now under speculation.
A park ranger at the scene said they are maintaining the scene as the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration and even the manufacturer of the aircraft look at the wreckage. The NTSB, which is leading the investigation, said it should all be wrapped up in a day or so.
Weather, pilot skills, or a medical episode are all possibilities, but are all speculation at this point. With most likely no audio recording from the cockpit of an aircraft of this size, investigators will put together a cause from a plane in pieces.
"It's hard to say," Afzal said.
The NTSB should have a preliminary report in about 10 days.
