Preliminary Report into Fatal DeKalb Plane Crash Released

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The NTSB has released its preliminary report into the May 8 plane crash on Interstate 285 in DeKalb County which left four people dead.

According to WSB-TV, the report does not make any determination into the cause of the crash, but provides additional transcripts of the conversation between air traffic controllers at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport and Greg Byrd, the pilot of the doomed Piper PA-32.

The transcript shows that Byrd followed proper taxi and takeoff procedures, and only reported his issues with gaining altitude two minutes after he took off. He then told the tower that his plane was going to crash.

Byrd and his passengers, sons Phillip and Christopher, and Christopher’s fiance Jackie Kulzer were heading to Oxford, MS, to celebrate youngest son Robert’s graduation from Ole Miss. Kulzer was planning to marry Christopher in October following six years together.

NTSB investigator Eric Alleyne said during a press conference on the day of the crash that the wreckage of the aircraft was being collected and transported to Griffin for further examination. Alleyne said he planned to have the remains of the aircraft re-assembled in two weeks, but a full report on the accident could take anywhere from six months to one year.

Alleyne told reporters that he had a “laundry list” of factors, such as maintenance records and the pilot’s flight experience, that he typically looks for when investigating a plane crash. However, he added that he won’t have any specific theories to focus his investigation on until he gets the plane re-assembled in Griffin.