Pilot in Deadly Texas Plane Crash Not Certified for Bad Weather
Investigators say the pilot who died in a 2013 Texas Panhandle crash during heavy fog was not certified to fly in such weather.
The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the crash that killed pilot William Michael Capt, his wife and their 19-year-old son. All were from Canyon.
The wreckage of the Beechcraft Bonanza was located Nov. 11 in a lakebed near Amarillo during a flight from Lubbock. Investigators found no mechanical trouble with the single-engine plane, which Capt purchased just weeks earlier.
The report released Monday says the pilot did not have a Federal Aviation Administration flight instrument rating. Investigators say Capt likely experienced spatial disorientation.
The NTSB also says Capt had two types of sedative prescription drugs in his system not allowed before flying.