The tragic events of September 2 2021, at Farmington, Connecticut, have now found their cause, according to investigators, as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals the culprit of the fatal accident to be a parking brake. The crash claimed the lives of two pilots, a married doctor couple from Boston, and injured four people on the ground, as WBZ news reported.
The private jet, a twin-engine Cessna 560XL, would have flown from Robertson Airport in Plainville to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina, met an untimely and tragic end as stated in Associated Press. Courtney Haviland and William Shrauner, both doctors at Boston hospitals, left behind a young child, and Haviland was pregnant at the time of the accident, according to NBC Connecticut.
As reported, witnesses on the ground noticed the abnormal slowness with which the jet approached takeoff, as blue smoke enveloped its rear. The jet grazed the earth, eventually hitting a utility pole and a grassy area adjacent to the Trumpf Inc. building near the runway. Subsequently, it collided with the structure, bursting into flames, which tore through the majority of the aircraft's frame. Investigators discovered skid marks on the runway, indicating that the plane's parking brake was engaged.
The NTSB's report also shed light on a fault within the certification process for the airplane, which dated back to 2006 according to Associated Press. As the jet was a "derivative" of an older model, it was subject to an antiquated standard from 1965 that did not necessitate the inclusion of a parking brake indicator. This lack of equipment, compounded with the parking brake left engaged during takeoff, contributed significantly to the devastating outcome.
