The pilot of a small plane who was killed in a crash this month in North Carolina had lifted a wheel after landing to spare a turtle on the runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report released on Friday.
The pilot and one passenger were killed when the plane crashed just before noon on June 3 near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, N.C., about 60 miles north of Charlotte, the report said. Another passenger was severely injured.
The N.T.S.B. said in its report that a communications officer pointed out the turtle to the pilot as the plane returned to the airport and turned to prepare to land on a runway.
The pilot landed but then lifted the Universal Stinson 108 plane’s right wheel to avoid the turtle.
The communications operator reported that she heard the pilot advance the throttle after lifting the wheel. She said that she lost sight of the plane after that.
A man cutting the grass at the end of the runway said that he saw the pilot lift the wheel to spare the turtle, the report said. He then saw the plane’s wings begin to rock back and forth before it took off again.
The man lost sight of the plane after it passed behind a hangar, but said he heard a loud crash and saw smoke, according to the report.
The plane crashed in a heavily forested area about 250 feet past the runway and caught fire. It was wedged between several trees and remained intact aside from a few pieces of fabric, the report said.
It was unclear whether the pilot’s decision to lift the tire to avoid the turtle caused the crash.
The N.T.S.B., which said it does not identify the victims in its reports, did not list a probable cause. A final N.T.S.B. report on the crash could take one to two years to complete, the board said.
The registered owner of the plane listed on a Federal Aviation Administration website did not immediately respond to a phone message on Friday seeking comment.
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