NTSB Report Details Escape from Burning Plane that Crashed after Takeoff near Wilton

Nov. 8—A preliminary investigative report details the escape of four people out of a burning plane last month when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from a private airstrip in Wilton.

A pregnant woman, a man and two teen boys were aboard the plane when the fiery crash occurred Oct. 14 just off Alta Mesa Road, about a half-mile south of Blake Road. The plane went down just after 4 p.m. to the west of the Alta Mesa Airpark, 9 miles east of Elk Grove.

The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the plane's pilot and one of the passengers suffered serious injuries in the crash. Two other passengers suffered minor injuries.

FAA records show the aircraft was a fixed-wing, single-engine Antonov An-2 utility biplane with its registered owner listed as Russian Oil Burner LLC out of Lewes, Delaware. These types of utility biplanes with slow flight ability have been commonly used in agriculture.

The plane was heading to Reno. The pilot told authorities he configured the plane for takeoff. Shortly after the plane's takeoff from the airstrip, the pilot noticed something was wrong.

"The departure started normally and after becoming airborne, the airplane controls were not responding to his inputs as expected," according to the NTSB report. "The airplane continued to pitch up in a nose-high attitude and he was unable to push the control yoke forward which he described as feeling like he was 'stretching' cables with forward pressure."

The pilot tried to regain control, but the plane's pitch became "uncontrollable," according to the report. The pilot told authorities he saw an open area and decided to make a rapid maneuver toward that area.

The plane banked to the left, then it descended into trees. The plane crashed on the ground and a fire erupted. The plane's back door would not open due to the wreckage. The crash also broke the plane's front window.

"The pilot and passengers all climbed out the window and the airplane continued to burn," according to the preliminary NTSB report, which is subject to change pending the completion of the investigation.

Capt. Parker Wilbourn of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has said the pilot and passengers appeared to have suffered burns on their hands and arms and there was a high likelihood that all of them would recover from their injuries.

Two witnesses at the airport recorded videos of the airplane departing that afternoon. One video captured the plane shortly before the takeoff roll, showing the plane move to the right of the runway, according to the NTSB report. Then, the plane veered to the left of the runway and became airborne shortly after.

"In the approximate 10 seconds that followed, the airplane pitched up at an increasingly higher and higher angle-of-attack," NTSB officials wrote in the report. "The airplane then made a sharp left turn and goes behind the trees as it descends."

CBS13 reported that family members confirmed the pilot, Oren Breedlove, his pregnant wife and two nephews, 13 and 17, were aboard the plane when it crashed.

The Elk Grove Citizen reported that Wilton Fire District Chief Jeff Cookson said it was a miracle anyone survived the plane crash, and he commended the pilot for having avoided homes and power lines.

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