Preliminary report released in Lowndes County crop duster crash

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The plane equivalent of a stuck gas pedal is being looked at as the likely cause of a September crop duster crash in Lowndes County.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the September 27 accident described a problem with the power lever moments before the plane went down.

The pilot said he noticed the engine had revved up a little bit during a pass over the field and he tried to throttle back but the lever felt stuck.  After another pass over the field just off Highway 45 south of Columbus, the pilot said he again tried to adjust the lever and this time it broke free and left him with no control over the plane’s speed.

While trying to make an emergency landing, the pilot clipped a tree and sent the plane in a cartwheel in the field before it came to rest upright on the landing gear.

The pilot suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover.

Earlier reports indicated the plane was going about 100 miles per hour when it hit the ground.