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JERSEY SHORE -- Pilot error likely caused an experimental bi-plane to crash in Lycoming County last year killing two, the National Transportation Safety Board says.
The decision by Douglas Cromley, 40, to conduct low altitude aerobatic maneuvers that exceeded the plane's capability resulted in an aerodynamic stall, the NTSB final report on its investigation states.
Cromley of Lewisburg and David McCormick, 67, of Allenwood, were killed in the Aug. 11, 2019, crash that occurred shortly after takeoff from the Jersey Shore Airport, a grass strip near Antes Fort that does not have a tower.
The NTSB report provides this account of the accident as related by a witness:
After takeoff, the plane did a high-speed fly-by at full throttle over the runway at about 150 feet and then climbed straight up to about 500 to 600 feet.
The plane stalled, the left wing rolled over and the craft made two or three spirals before it hit the ground.
The experimental Acro Sport plane came down on private property adjoining the airport.
The NTSB investigation determined Cromley had purchased the amateur-built airplane about three weeks earlier and had flown it for the first time two days before the accident.
Post-accident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, the NTSB report states.
Cromley held commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates for single and multiple engine airplanes, the report states.