The two men who were killed in Friday’s plane crash in Keene were pilot rated, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday.The NTSB held a media briefing Sunday afternoon and announced that the two people who were killed in the crash were men and both were pilot rated. NTSB investigators spent most of the day Sunday at the scene of the crash, meticulously trying to comb through the debris for any clue into what caused the plane to go down, even using the Keene Fire Department ladder truck to survey the charred remains of the building and crash site.“We were able to physically locate and remove part of the aircraft structure from the building,” said Tim Monville, NTSB investigator.What is left of the small plane is being stored in a local facility and will be reconstructed as part of the investigation, but that may not provide enough information.“The cockpit cabin and both wings were nearly consumed by the fire,” Monville said.Keene Mayor George Hansel said on Saturday the plane crashed shortly after departure from the Dillant-Hopkins Airport.The plane hit a multi-family building at 661 Main St. at 6:48 p.m., which started a fire. The eight people living in the building were not hurt but the two people in the plane were killed. >> Read: Building owner reacts Officials said the three-alarm fire was out by 8:47 p.m. The plane hit a garage attached to the building.”So the point of impact was somewhat remote from the main body of the house,” Keene fire Chief Donald Farquhar said.The plane is owned by Monadnock Aviation, Hansel said.”The fact that it hit a building where eight people were living and none of those people were injured is an important detail, and we’re very lucky,” Hansel said. >> Video: Officials give update Airport director David Hinkling said the plane crashed about an eighth of a mile from the end of the runway. Investigators are still conducting interviews with witnesses, airport employees and maintenance crews. “We are in the process of examining the maintenance records of the airplane and we have interviews scheduled with maintenance personnel tomorrow,” Monville said. Some of the biggest clues may come from surveillance video from two separate locations near the crash site.“We do have video from two different sources that depict the final portion of the flight and the impact with the storage facility and the resulting fireball,” Monville said. >> Video: Aerial video of plane crashMichael Robinson is the building director at Hope Chapel, which is next door to the apartment building. “It’s a little unnerving because this is the direct flight path to the airport, so planes go over constantly, and we think nothing of it because we’re so used to it,” Robinson said.He said one of his friends that lived in the apartment lost everything.”His vehicles — he’s a contractor, so he lost all his tools that were in the thing. He got hit pretty hard,” Robinson said.Hope Chapel’s Sunday service was canceled so investigators can continue working in their parking lot. >> Read: Church youth group ‘shaken up’ The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s investigating the crash, which is expected to take several months with a final cause of the crash not expected to be released until next year.
The two men who were killed in Friday’s plane crash in Keene were pilot rated, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday.
The NTSB held a media briefing Sunday afternoon and announced that the two people who were killed in the crash were men and both were pilot rated.
NTSB investigators spent most of the day Sunday at the scene of the crash, meticulously trying to comb through the debris for any clue into what caused the plane to go down, even using the Keene Fire Department ladder truck to survey the charred remains of the building and crash site.
“We were able to physically locate and remove part of the aircraft structure from the building,” said Tim Monville, NTSB investigator.
What is left of the small plane is being stored in a local facility and will be reconstructed as part of the investigation, but that may not provide enough information.
“The cockpit cabin and both wings were nearly consumed by the fire,” Monville said.
Keene Mayor George Hansel said on Saturday the plane crashed shortly after departure from the Dillant-Hopkins Airport.
The plane hit a multi-family building at 661 Main St. at 6:48 p.m., which started a fire. The eight people living in the building were not hurt but the two people in the plane were killed.
>> Read: Building owner reacts
Officials said the three-alarm fire was out by 8:47 p.m. The plane hit a garage attached to the building.
“So the point of impact was somewhat remote from the main body of the house,” Keene fire Chief Donald Farquhar said.
The plane is owned by Monadnock Aviation, Hansel said.
“The fact that it hit a building where eight people were living and none of those people were injured is an important detail, and we’re very lucky,” Hansel said.
>> Video: Officials give update
Airport director David Hinkling said the plane crashed about an eighth of a mile from the end of the runway.
Investigators are still conducting interviews with witnesses, airport employees and maintenance crews.
“We are in the process of examining the maintenance records of the airplane and we have interviews scheduled with maintenance personnel tomorrow,” Monville said.
Some of the biggest clues may come from surveillance video from two separate locations near the crash site.
“We do have video from two different sources that depict the final portion of the flight and the impact with the storage facility and the resulting fireball,” Monville said.
>> Video: Aerial video of plane crash
Michael Robinson is the building director at Hope Chapel, which is next door to the apartment building.
“It’s a little unnerving because this is the direct flight path to the airport, so planes go over constantly, and we think nothing of it because we’re so used to it,” Robinson said.
He said one of his friends that lived in the apartment lost everything.
“His vehicles — he’s a contractor, so he lost all his tools that were in the thing. He got hit pretty hard,” Robinson said.
Hope Chapel’s Sunday service was canceled so investigators can continue working in their parking lot.
>> Read: Church youth group ‘shaken up’
The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s investigating the crash, which is expected to take several months with a final cause of the crash not expected to be released until next year.
Read More: 2 men killed in Keene plane crash were pilot rated, NTSB says
