74°
Octorara school board president Sam Ganow was the only one onboard the twin-engine Grumman American GA-7 that crashed near Coatesville on the afternoon of Feb. 1, Daily Voice reported.
In the preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, officials said the plane was "the subject of a restoration project" that was being documented on YouTube "for the purpose of returning the airplane to service and reselling it."
Ganow owned a Grumman GA-7 of his own, but was flying the project plane to its new owner in Knoxville, Tennessee, authorities said.
Witnesses told investigators that Ganow arrived at the Chester County Airport around 12:30 p.m. He "made it clear he was 'in a hurry'" to make his return flight from Knoxville at 6 p.m., the report says.
The plane's 116-gallon tanks were filled with 80 gallons of fuel, and witnesses said he did not obtain fuel samples before take off, according to the NTSB.
Some witnesses said Ganow did not perform a pre-takeoff engine runup, or a series of checks to ensure flight systems are in working order. The NTSB said there was a delay in the airport surveillance cameras, during which time Ganow could have run the checks.
The engine's sound was "smooth and continuous until just after takeoff, when a loud pop was heard followed by sputtering," the report says.
Witnesses described the plane making an "aggressive" right turn, then a left turn, continuing on an approximate runway heading "until it was lost from view."
The plane crashed at about 1 p.m.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Gettysburg and receive free news updates.
