A small plane that crashed into two Phoenix homes last month, injuring three people, appeared to have lost engine power moments after takeoff, federal investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report that the Piper PA-28-140 experienced rapidly declining engine performance shortly after departing from Deer Valley Airport on March 4, forcing the instructor to attempt an emergency return.
The aircraft, carrying a flight instructor and student pilot, had climbed to roughly 1,700 feet before turning back toward the airport. But the plane was unable to make it…