ARVADA, Colo. — The pilot of a small plane that crashed in Arvada earlier this month reported oil pressure issues, and witnesses described smoke coming from the plane immediately before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The Arvada Fire Protection District responded to the crash around 9:30 a.m. on June 7 in the area of Oberon Road and Carr Street. The small, fixed-wing plane was on fire in the front yard of a home when crews arrived on scene.
All four people aboard the plane were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. One woman, identified as Melissa Brinkmann, later died from her injuries.
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The Beech V35A took off from Centennial Airport in Englewood around 9:14 a.m. with an intended destination of Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland.
About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot radioed that he was experiencing engine oil pressure problems and wanted to divert to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the report says.
While en route to Broomfield, the pilot attempted a forced landing in the roadway in Arvada. Witnesses reported the plane was flying low, the engine did not sound normal and what appeared to be white smoke coming from the engine.
Evidence from the crash scene showed the left wingtip hit a 30-foot-tall tree near the road before the plane contacted the road with its landing gear and flaps retracted. It slid about 400 feet down the road until it crashed into a parked car and came to a rest in the home's yard.
The engine and airframe were moved to a secure facility for more detailed examination due to severe fire damage. Cockpit instruments were destroyed in the postimpact fire and could not be evaluated.
Investigators did not discover any preimpact failures or anomalies among flight control systems or the airframe.
The engine was partially attached to the engine mounts and firewall. The engine case was intact and there were no obvious holes or preimpact damage.
The oil quick drain was found in the closed position and was securely mounted to the oil pan with safety wire present.
There was also damage on the propeller blades that was consistent with some degree of rotation at the time of impact.
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