New Details Released In Liberty Plane Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report with new details about plane crash in Liberty last month.

The investigation into what caused a small plane to go down continues, but the report says the pilot's first indication that something was wrong came when he felt a slight vibration coming from the engine of the Cirrus SR-22.

The plane crash happened around 5pm on Sunday, July 22.

Pickens County Emergency Management Director Chuck Haynes said a call came in that stated a pilot was going to attempt to land the beleaguered aircraft at the Pickens County Airport.

While fire and rescue squads were en route to the airport, the pilot notified responders that the plane was going to crash land.

According to the report, while preparing for a forced landing, the pilot felt the controls become “mushy.”

The condition worsened.

“As the airplane descended through 1,000 feet, the pilot felt as if he had "lost control of the airplane" and decided to pull the emergency parachute,” the report states.

The built-in parachute allowed the plane to descend into trees just off McClanahan Road with causing serious injury to the pilot or the three passengers.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector found oil on the underside of the plane, the report states.

Haynes said that due to the angle the plane came to rest in the trees at, fuel did escape the aircraft, but it did not ignite.

The plane's engine will be inspected at a later date.

The full report can be viewed here.