NTSB, FAA investigate plane crash

PLAINVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) -- A man was killed Thursday night when his plane suddenly took a nose dive into the ground and caught fire, just feet below the runway.

A single engine, four seat Cessna 172 had been coming in for a landing at Robertson Field about 7:00 Thursday night when it crashed into a hill just before the runway and burst into flames.

A woman who saw the crash says she saw the plane approaching normally, then suddenly dip down. NTSB investigators spoke to a flight instructor who saw the plane on approach just before the crash.

"Looking up he said it seemed to him it was slightly high and he was correcting for that, but then he got in his car and drove away, so he didn't see the impact," said Bob Gretz, a NTSB Senior Investigator.

Between the impact and the flames, the pilot was killed. He was the only one on board. The plane was more than 30 years old, but a very common and reliable model. The pilot rented it at Robertson Field and officials there said he was an experienced pilot.

"They obviously have to get checked out and they fill out a rental questionnaire and the person that rented the airplane listed a 1,000 hours of flight experience," Gretz said. "That was back in June."

If that was back in June, then the man had obviously rented from Robertson Field before.

As for the weather, witnesses tell News 8 that storms were heading in, but they hadn't arrived when the crash happened. It wasn't windy, it wasn't raining yet. The NTSB will look at weather data as part of the investigation.

The investigation is expected to take six to 12 months.