The plane that went down in South Dakota and tragically killed nine people on board, had clearance to fly despite poor weather
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a release Monday that the pilot had clearance despite limited visibility at half a mile and turbulent conditions
The Pilatus PC-12 single engine plane flew for just a mile before crashing
The flight took off from Chamberlain South Dakota for Idaho Falls
The National Weather Service in Rapid City, South Dakota had warned of ‘white-out’ conditions for a significant part of the state on Saturday
NTSB officials arrived to crash site on Monday for investigation
The plane that went down in South Dakota and tragically killed nine people on board, had clearance to fly despite poor weather, federal safety officials revealed Monday.
Twelve members of a family from Idaho were on board the Pilatus PC-12 plane that took off before 12.30pm CST on Saturday and crashed after flying just one mile, coming down in a field south of Chamberlain, South Dakota
The National Transportation Safety Board said that the pilot, who has not been identified, received clearance to fly from Chamberlain to Idaho Falls.
Flight conditions around the time of take off included limited visibility at about half a mile, overcast skies, turbulent conditions with moderate snow and icing, the NTSB said in a news release on Monday.
The plane that went down in South Dakota and tragically killed nine people on board, had clearance to fly despite poor weather, federal safety officials revealed Monday
Twelve members of a family from Idaho were on board the Pilatus PC-12 plane that took off before 12.30pm CST on Saturday and crashed after flying just one mile, coming down in a field south of Chamberlain, South Dakota
The National Transportation Safety Board said that the pilot, who has not been identified, received clearance to fly from Chamberlain to Idaho Falls. This is a picture of the extended family of 12 (all pictured) who went on a hunting trip in South Dakota before a fatal plane crash that left nine of them dead, and three fighting for their lives
Still the single-engine plane was cleared to fly. Clearance gives pilots permission to use the runway, but doesn’t necessarily give a green light for flying in the weather conditions at the time. The choice to fly is a decision that lies with the pilot.
After make it about a mile, the plane crashed, killing nine people on board and injuring the remaining three.
Four generations of the Idaho Falls family were killed in the devastating crash. They were together for an annual pheasant hunting trip.
Brothers Jim and Kirk Hansen, founders of health and wellness company Kyäni Inc, were killed in the crash. They were killed along with their father Jim Hansen Sr.
Also killed in the crash were Kirk Hansen’s children, Stockton and Logan; his sons-in-law, Kyle Taylor and Tyson Dennert; and Jim Hansen’s son, Jake, and grandson, Houston.
The injured were identified as Kirk’s son, Josh, and Jim’s son, Matt, and son-in-law, Thomas Long. All three were hospitalized.
The pilot had filed with the FAA a plan with instrument flight rules, which details how an aircraft operates when a pilot is unable to navigate with visual references.
The FAA issued an alert for a missing airplane when the pilot didn’t activate the flight plan after departure, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
Officials with the NTSB arrived in Chamberlain on Monday to document the crash site over the next few days.
A preliminary report of their findings will be released in the next two weeks. A full investigation will take between 12 and 24 months.
The cause of the plane crash has not been released, but Chamberlain and parts of South Dakota were under a winter storm warning at the time. On Saturday Chamberlain had rainy showers.
The National Weather Service in Rapid City, South Dakota had warned of ‘white-out’ conditions for a significant part of the state on Saturday.
