CULLMAN, Ala. – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators this week issued a preliminary report on the Jan. 5, 2020 plane crash at Cullman Regional Airport that killed local pilot Tyler Walker, 40, and his daughter Brooklyn Walker, 10.
Based on a combination of airport surveillance video and eyewitness accounts, Investigator In Charge Eric Alleyne reported:
“During the initial climb, when the airplane reached about 350 ft, a loud ‘pop’ was heard. The witnesses watched as the airplane made an immediate ‘sharp left banking turn’ in what appeared to be an attempt to return to the airport. The airplane ‘stalled and went into a left spiral downward turn.’ The airplane completed two turns before colliding with the ground on airport property adjacent the taxiway.”
According to the report, the plane did not explode or catch fire.
Damage to the plane’s engine appeared to have been caused by the impact; individual engine components that were tested all appeared to function properly. The craft’s flight control systems, which allow steering, seemed to be intact.
A small amount of fuel was found in the carburetor and fuel pump, but the fuel tanks and lines to and from the pump were reported to be empty. Investigators did not find records indicating any refueling since the aircraft was fueled at Cullman Regional Airport on Nov. 29, 2019, prior to a flight to Auburn.
The NTSB report cautioned: “This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors.”
The report can be viewed at https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20200105X53312&AKey=1&RType=Prelim&IType=FA.
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