UNION, S.C. — A small plane carrying four members of a Huntsville family crashed shortly after takeoff from a South Carolina airport last month, rolling sharply before plunging into trees, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Mooney M20J, registration N1151H, went down April 17 at 5:50 p.m. local time shortly after departing Union County Airport, killing pilot James “Tony” Moffatt, 60, his wife Leasa, 61, and their sons Andrew, 30, and William, 28. The Moffatts had stopped to refuel while returning from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina to their home in Huntsville.
Airport surveillance video captured the sequence of events.
After landing, refueling and spending roughly 30 minutes on the ground, the family reboarded and taxied to the departure end of runway 23. A second camera then recorded the aircraft climbing out approximately 1,000 feet past the runway’s end, reaching only about 200 feet above ground level, before it banked right, quickly rolled left and descended behind a tree line…