Early report gives few clues to plane crash

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: November 13, 2008

The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to pinpoint the cause of a October plane crash in which two people died, according to a preliminary report.
Thomas John Mahoney, 47, and Elizabeth Marie Paris, 50, were killed when the Piper plane Mahoney was piloting went down in southern Albemarle County on Oct. 24.
According to the report, the plane left Asheville, N.C., at 5:26 p.m. the day of the crash and was headed for the Orange County Airport.

At some point, Mahoney radioed in that he would be landing at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport and “opted for the instrument landing system runway,” according to the report.
Then Mahoney radioed “multiple distress calls” shortly before the plane disappeared from radar.
The plane crashed at about 7:15 p.m. in a densely wooded area near Walton Middle School.

The NTSB report states that, according to a witness, the plane hit several trees and then went down. The debris field was 400 feet long and 100 feet wide and the wreckage left a large crater. There was also a small fire at the crash site.
The cockpit was crushed and parts of the plane were strewn about, according to the report.

The examination of the engine and its parts “did not reveal evidence of any pre-impact anomalies,” the report stated.
The investigation into the cause of the crash continues.