NTSB: Plane that Crashed in Provincetown Was Trying to Take Off But Hit Trees

Sept. 30, 2021

Sep. 29—PROVINCETOWN — The Cape Air plane that crashed on Sept. 9 near Provincetown Municipal Airport landed in heavy rain and was attempting

Seven people in the plane, including the pilot, had serious injuries and were taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis by ambulance. Four were sent on to Boston hospitals. The status of the injured was not part of the federal report, and Cape Air representatives did not respond Tuesday afternoon to requests for comment and updates.

The airplane was traveling "a little faster" than it should have as it landed around 3:27 p.m. on scheduled flight 2072 from Boston-Logan International Airport, according to another Cape Air pilot holding a plane on a nearby runway, the report stated.

The pilot of the incoming flight was cleared by air traffic control for an instrument landing system approach on runway No. 7 in Provincetown, according to the report. The pilot of the incoming flight contacted the pilot on the ground to ask if the airport lights were on. The pilot on the ground confirmed the lights were on, and also said visibility was improving, and that the rain was subsiding, according to the report.

Not enough room to stop

As the airplane landed about halfway down the 3,502-foot runway, and it came into view of the pilot on the ground, it was apparent there wasn't enough room to stop safely, the report stated. The landing plane then took off and entered a slow climb, according to the report. The altitude of the airplane as it took off appeared normal, but it was climbing slower than it should have, the report stated, based on the account of the pilot on the ground.

"The airplane cleared the localizer antennas at the far end of the runway, then the perimeter fence, before it struck trees," the report stated, based on the account of the pilot on the ground. "The airplane disappeared into the trees, and he then saw a ball of flames."

The preliminary report does not identify the cause of the crash. The cause may be not identified for 12 to 18 months, according to the NTSB website. The federal agency does not identify individuals involved in the crash. The report is subject to change and may contain errors, according to the documentation. A final report could be expected in 12 to 24 months, according to NTSB Public Affairs Officer Peter Knudson on Tuesday.

When the flight landed at the town-owned airport, it was raining heavily, based on a preliminary review of an airport surveillance video, the report stated. During the landing, as the airplane passed the airport's windsock, the movement of the windsock was consistent with the airplane landing with wind moving in the same direction as the plane.

At the site of the accident, the airplane came to rest upright approximately 200 feet from its initial contact with the trees, according to the report. The fire that ignited after impact burned parts of the left and right wings. All the major components of the airplane were accounted for at the site, as part of the crash investigation, the report stated. The wrecked plane, with " Nantucket Airlines" insignia, was hauled away for further investigation on

The pilot, who is not named in the report, held an airline transport pilot certificate with a rating for airplane multiengine land; he held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land; the pilot also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for single- and multi-engine airplanes, and instrument airplane, according to the report. The pilot's most recent Federal Aviation Administration first-class medical certificate was issued on April 2. The pilot reported 17,617 flight hours, of which 10,000 hours were in the Cessna 403, according to the report.

Cape Air considers the Cessna 403C the workhorse of its fleet, serving the majority of the company's destinations, according to the company. Cape Air is the only commercial passenger airline at the Provincetown airport, with flights to Boston and White Plains, New York. Nantucket Airlines is part of Cape Air.

At around 3:37 p.m. on the day of the crash, winds were at 10 knots from the southwest, with visibility of three miles in heavy rain and mist; there were a few clouds at 200 feet; and an overcast ceiling at 500 feet, according to the airport data described in the report.

Airport Manager Peter Kacergis declined to comment Tuesday, saying he has provided information to the NTSB and has no further comments.

"It's in their hands," he said.

The airport at 176 Race Point Road is in a remote area of dunes and woods in the Cape Cod National Seashore, near the ocean.

The NTSB has investigated nine other airplane crashes at the airport since 1988, including four with fatalities.

Provincetown Airport Commission Chairman Stephen Katsurinis did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Passenger used her seat to block flames

Autumn Kerr, a passenger on the flight who suffered second-degree burns in the crash, told WCVB-TV in an interview the evening of the crash that the plane "just hit the ground in the trees and burst into flames," first in the front, and then on the right side. As the plane was landing it ran into trouble, and then the plane picked back up, Kerr said.

"I'm still scared and still really shocked, just in shock," Kerr told WCVB-TV. In the moments after the crash, she initially struggled to get her seatbelt off and ripped her seat out "and turned it around to use it like a shield from the flames." The pilot helped get her out of her seat and she fled the plane.

NTSB officials began documenting the scene and examining the aircraft the day after the crash. Radar data, weather information, air traffic control communication, airplane maintenance records, the pilot's medical records and the wreckage itself are examined as part of the investigation, said Jennifer Gabris from NTSB media relations by email on Sept. 10.

The Provincetown Select Board decided Sept. 13 to send letters of gratitude to several town fire departments, the National Park Service and others that sent help to the scene of the plane crash, or served as a backup at fire stations.

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