NTSB Report: No Flight Control Check Before Fatal Hanscom Crash

BOSTON (CBS/AP) – The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report Friday on the plane crash that killed 7 people at Hanscom Field on May 31.

Read: NTSB Preliminary Report

The report suggests the crew didn't perform a flight control check before attempting takeoff.

Investigators wrote the Gulfstream G-IV jet "was destroyed after a rejected takeoff and runway excursion."

However, they did not explain what caused the pilots to abort the takeoff and skid off the runway.

Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz and six others on his private jet were killed in the crash.

They were headed back to Atlantic City, New Jersey after attending a fundraiser at Doris Kearns Goodwin's home in Concord that evening.

Investigators said in their report Friday that the flight data recorder "did not reveal evidence of any catastrophic engine failures" and a review of "data parameters associated with the flight control surface positions did not reveal any movement consistent with a flight control check prior to the commencement of the takeoff roll."

The report also indicated a possible problem with a mechanical gust lock system, which protects aircraft components from wind damage while planes are parked. Aviation experts say the plane would have been unable to take off if the lock was engaged.

The NTSB said last week its preliminary investigation showed brake pressure was rising as the plane accelerated down the runway.

The thrust-reversers were also being applied and the pilots were heard talking about a "control issue" prior to the crash.

According to information from the flight data recorder included in Friday's report, "the airplane reached a maximum speed of 165 knots during the takeoff roll and did not lift off the runway."

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