NTSB: 50-60% Chance of Icing at Time of Brooklyn Park Plane Crash
A new federal report shows a plane that nosedived into a Brooklyn Park home last month may have had an icing issue before it crashed.
The pilot of the plane was 63-year-old Terry Dolan, a U.S. Bank executive. Dolan was supposed to land at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport before his private plane crashed into a home in northern Brooklyn Park near the Mississippi River at about 12:20 p.m. on March 29.
According to the preliminary NTSB report, investigators found no immediate signs of a mechanical issue with the Socata TBM 700A airplane that crashed.
However, the report estimates a “50 to 60 percent” probability of icing on the plane around the time of the crash.
Plane Went Silent Minutes Before Crash
Dolan left a municipal airport in Naples, Fla., and flew to Des Moines, Iowa to refuel. Preliminary air traffic control information revealed that Dolan contacted the Blaine airport to state he was inbound before he received landing clearance to runway 9. The pilot verified he had current weather information with the controller.
About four minutes later, the controller issued a low-altitude alert to the pilot with no response. Another attempt three minutes after that also produced no response.
Data produced by the plane revealed that about 5 nautical miles from the airport “the airplane’s airspeed and descent rate rapidly increased, accompanied by a left turn.”
The airplane struck trees before it crashed into the home, starting a fire that destroyed both the plane and house.
Residential doorbell camera video showed the plane in steep descent with the nose pointed down.
Investigators found the main wreckage of the plane in the home’s basement.
Dolan was the sole person killed. No one inside the home was injured. One person was inside at the time and was able to escape.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
A final NTSB report could take up to two years to complete.
Ring doorbell video shows plane descending nose-first
