LOUISA — A twin-engine airplane experienced a loss of engine power before it crashed at the front of a house in the town of Louisa last week, killing the pilot and igniting the house and plane, according to a preliminary report.
The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said the loss of power occurred during takeoff from Freeman Field airport on March 4.
The Cessna T303 Crusader crashed less than a mile from the airport after refueling there on a trip from Manassas to Danville, where the pilot, James “Jay” Youngquist, was scheduled to umpire a baseball game.
A witness at the airfield reported that at least one engine “didn’t sound right” and seemed to be “running rough and not making power” at the time of departure, according to the NTSB report.
Several other witnesses, located about a half-mile from the airport, saw the airplane pass overhead in a right turn, and reported that the engine did not sound right, the report states.
Two of the witnesses said that grayish black smoke emanated from the plane. One witness said the smoke was coming from the right engine, and the other witness said it seemed to be coming from the tail section.
The plane rolled to one side and descended nose down into the front yard of the house in the 100 block of Jefferson Highway about 12:45 p.m.
A man inside the house avoided injury because he went into the basement shortly before the crash.
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