Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board continued their work Friday piecing together the plane crash that killed a Wyoming County man Wednesday night.
The crash killed 78-year-old Russell Hazelton of Lake Winola and left his wife. Suzanne, 69, on life support after the two were extricated from the partially submerged aircraft that crashed in a lake in Missouri.
Details on the cause of the crash were not yet available, said Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the NTSB.
Mr. Holloway said that the investigators would likely have a preliminary report released late next week.
While such reports can offer contextual details on a crash and mention evidence collected, a cause cannot be determined until after several months of further investigation.
Mr. Holloway said a full report with a definitive cause can take 12 to 18 months to complete.
Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton started their flight in Factoryville and, after stopping for fuel in Ohio, were expected to land at the Creve Coeur Airport outside of St. Louis.
Mr. Hazelton, a retired commercial airline pilot, attempted to land on the shore of Creve Coeur Lake, just short of the airport, but ended up hitting the water, which flipped the plane on impact at about 8:40 p.m., officials said.
According to FAA records, Mr. Hazelton was the plane's owner. It is a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft, manufactured by Piper Aircraft in 1973.
Mr. Hazelton was a member of the Penn Security Bank and Trust Co. board of directors since 1977, said Chief Executive Officer Craig Best.
A family man who constantly talked about his two children and actively contributed to the community, Mr. Hazelton will be missed, Mr. Best said.
"We're just so saddened by his passing," Mr. Best said. "We're really right now praying for Suzie."
Contact the writers: domalley@timesshamrock.com, ksullivan@timesshamrock.com