SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Federal investigators say the pilot and a passenger spent three hours clearing snow and ice off of a small plane before crashed after taking off from a small South Dakota airport over Thanksgiving weekend.
The Nov. 30 crash killed nine of the 12 members of an Idaho family who were on board, including the pilot.
The National Transportation Safety Board says in a preliminary report released Tuesday that three of the planes warning systems activated within seconds of taking off from the small airport in Chamberlain, South Dakota.
However, the NTSB has not come to a conclusion yet about the probable cause of the accident.
The report also says that witnesses told investigators that snow limited visibility before takeoff.
A prominent family from Idaho Falls, Idaho was heading back home from a pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota, when their plane crashed just minutes after takeoff.
