SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELOLAND) — An abrupt stop in the single-engine during a plane’s climb forced a pilot into a crash landing near Pierre that killed a passenger on Oct. 23, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The report said that while climbing from the Pierre Regional Airport the 1997 Piper Malibu Mirage airplane’s engine “abruptly stopped; rolled back.” The pilot noted no warning or abnormal indications before the loss of power. The pilot turned back to the airport but the plane would not re-start. The pilot feathered the propeller. The plane also lost electrical power.
The plane crashed in an area of bluffs and rolling terrain. The pilot performed CPR on the lone passenger until first responders arrived. The passenger died later at a hospital. The pilot was seriously injured.
The NTSB said the plane came to rest upright. There was substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.
The passenger was a 76-year-old man from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The plane’s destination was Steamboat Springs.