Witness: Engine on small airplane was running at high speed before Kentucky crash
A witness said the engine of a small airplane was running at high speed with no interruptions just before it crashed in Kentucky last month, killing two people, according to a federal report.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report this week on the Dec. 10 accident in Lincoln County.
The report from the witness would indicate the plane did not experience engine failure.
The report also said that instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the site of the accident, meaning conditions that require a pilot to primarily use instruments to fly the plane rather than flying by sight.
The pilot did not have an instrument rating, according to the report.
The NTSB report did not name the pilot and passenger, but police identified them as Ronald Eldridge, 61, and Nick Strong, 63, both of Nicholasville.
The Beech V35 was registered to one of Eldridge’s businesses, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Eldridge’s son, Cameron, said Eldridge had been a licensed pilot for many years and was careful.
“He was, as far as I’m concerned, as good a pilot as there was,” Cameron Eldridge said.
The accident happened just before 5 p.m. as Eldridge and Strong headed from Florida to the airport in Danville, which is about 16 miles from the crash site, according to the report.
Data showed the plane was flying 300 to 400 feet above the ground when it made a series of turns, then pitched up and gained about 500 feet in altitude, then began a descent, according to the report.
The landowner where the crash happened did not see the plane, but told the NTSB he heard it.
The witness said the engine was engine was “very loud, getting louder, and running at high speed” with no interruption until he heard the impact.
The plane hit the top of a 50-foot tall oak tree in a heavily wooded area before impact with the ground. The angle of descent from the tree to the ground was about 75 degrees nose down, according to the report.
Eldridge owned and operated Ron Eldridge Excavating and Ron Eldridge Properties LLC; was an honorary deputy sheriff and a partner in N.R. Enterprise; and was active on many community boards and committees, according to his obituary.
“He was a well-respected community member and will be missed by many,” the obituary said.
Lowell Nicholas “Nick” Strong, 63, “left an incredible impact on the entire community and beyond,” his obituary said.
Strong was a member of Southland Christian Church and president of Old Colony Insurance Service, Inc. He also was chairman of Jessamine South Elkhorn Water District, a partner in N & R Enterprise & Bluegrass Industrial and a special deputy sheriff.
He served on the boards of the Jessamine County Joint Economic Development Authority and Central Bank and Trust and was a member of several organizations, including Keeneland Association, The Thoroughbred Club of America, National Professional Association of Insurance Agents, Thoroughbred Farm Managers, the chamber of commerce and the Home Builders Association, according to his obituary.
“They both gave a lot to the community,” Cameron Eldridge said.
