RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ An initial accident report released by federal investigators Thursday affirms witness accounts that the pilot of a San Jose-bound small plane that crashed in Riverside last month had trouble starting the left engine just before takeoff.
The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board did not reveal a suspected cause of the Feb. 27 crash that killed four San Jose residents and injured another, nor was it meant to: Typically, a final investigative report from the agency can take up to 18 months.
According to the report, on the afternoon of the crash, pilot Nouri Hijazi "completed a walk-around inspection of the airplane before boarding the flight with the passengers," started the right engine and, "after several unsuccessful attempts," started the left engine.
That aligns with previous accounts from witnesses at Riverside Municipal Airport. D&D Airport Cafe co-owner Delmy Pennington told The Riverside Press-Enterprise that she saw the pilot was unable to start the 43-year-old twin-engine Cessna 310 amid some intermittent rain, so the plane taxied to the terminal and all five occupants got off.
After two false starts, the family reportedly went back to the terminal. After the rain let up, they went back out to plane. Before it took off, Pennington said the plane rocked back and forth, front to back, its tail nearly touching the ground.
The report fills in the rest and also aligns with the observations of residents of the Rhonda Road neighborhood about a mile northeast of the airport. Upon "an uneventful runway departure," the Cessna began a left turn as it entered the clouds. A portion of the airplane's final moments of flight was captured by a surveillance video, which showed the Cessna descend to the ground in a slight left-wing-low attitude.
The airplane disappeared behind a residence, the report said, which was immediately followed by the presence of fire and smoke.
Hijazi, his wife Dana Hijazi, and family friend Adine Farelas were killed in the crash. Daughter Stacey Pierce died Tuesday from injuries she sustained in the crash. Adine's mother, Silvia Farelas, survived. The five flew from San Jose to Anaheim for a cheerleading competition _ Pierce and Silvia Farelas' daughters were participants from Union Middle School in San Jose _ and were returning home when the tragedy occurred.
According to the NTSB, the impact of the crash sent debris and plane parts, including the fuel tanks, as far as 200 feet from the wreckage. The preliminary report stated that the "aircraft cabin, both engines, portions of the left and right wings, and the left propeller" were found in a bedroom about 100 feet from the point of impact, and that wing fragments were scattered across the front lawn of another home.
