TAMPA, Fla. (WWSB) – A preliminary federal report says a small experimental plane turned sharply left shortly after taking off from Tampa Executive Airport before crashing Sept. 3, killing the pilot and a passenger.
The plane was headed to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators said the aircraft lifted off about halfway down the airport’s 5,000-foot runway at a ground speed of about 80 knots, or 92 mph. It then made a 180-degree left turn while climbing and banking steeply before descending nose-first into the ground…