The door appeared on a kitfly in California -crash that killed 2 and wounded 19

Fullerton, California – The home -built aircraft that crashed into a warehouse in California Earlier this month, it appears to have had a door in flight, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Van’s RV-10 tried to make an emergency landing Shortly after starting January 2, from Fullerton Municipal Airport, south of Los Angeles. The accident killed the pilot and his teenage daughter and wounded 19 people in a furniture production company.

The NTSB report also published on Wednesday that the door opening upwards had been changed in a way that affected a warning system that would have warned the pilot that it was Ajar.

Investigators quote testimony and a car’s dashcam video of moments before the crash. NTSB typically releases preliminary findings within weeks of a plane crash, and a final report comes months later.

A witness at the airport said he noticed that the plane seemed to fly “at a lower height than he would have expected considering its distance down the runway.” He also said the left door of the aircraft was open and up, according to the report.

“He then saw an arm reaching up and pulling the door down. At this point, the plane was far enough away for him to no longer distinguish between what happened, ”says the report.

Witnesses from another vantage point described to see the aircraft “flying lower than normal and knocked aggressively”, causing concern that it could stop.

“The aircraft then rolled to the right as the nose fell, and diped against the warehouse where it collided in a fireball,” the report said. The witnesses stated that just before influence, they saw a white, pan -like piece falling from the aircraft.

Moments after the start, the pilot told the air traffic control tower: “Immediate landing required.”

He initially said he was planning to land on runway 6. Air Traffic controller responded by saying that either Strip or Runway 24 were available. The pilot chose runway 24.

The federal aviation administration said at the time the aircraft asked for return to the airport approx. 274 meters). It crashed about 1,000 feet (305 meters) shortly after runway 24 and hit a scattered warehouse owned by Michael Nicholas Designs.

The two residents of the aircraft, Pilot Pascal Reid and his 16-year-old daughter Kelly, were killed. Eleven people on earth were brought to hospitals, while eight were treated on the spot, police say. The damage varied from less to very severe.

The single engine, four-seat Van’s RV-10 is a popular home-built aircraft sold in kit form. Investigators said Reid owned the aircraft, which was built in 2011.