NTSB releases preliminary report on fatal Bowie plane crash

Federal authorities released a preliminary report on the plane crash that killed a pilot and two passengers on June 20 in Bowie.According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the single-engine plane departed Ocean City Municipal Airport in New Jersey at 9:28 p.m. and conducted three touch-and-go landings before it landed again 16 minutes later. At 10:10 p.m., the pilot and the two passengers left Ocean City en route Montgomery County Airpark in Maryland, where they had originally departed earlier on the day of the accident.The preliminary report states the airplane began a gradual descent 40 miles into the flight. Later, at around 11:26 p.m., the plane continued descending "while maneuvering left and right before radar and ADS-B data were lost."The pilot then transmitted a "partly unintelligible" radio call stating he was near Fort Meade and declared an in-flight emergency. The report says the pilot requested to land at Freeway Airport in Prince George's County.The pilot's last interaction with air traffic control personnel was indicating he did not have the airport in sight. "No further radio transmissions were received, and radar contact was lost," the report indicates.Read the NTSB's full preliminary report here.The plane crashed near a townhome community but wasn't found until the early morning hours on Sunday, according to WBAL-TV sister station WRC-TV.An iPhone crash notification received around 11:30 p.m. on that Saturday night by Prince George's County Public Safety Communications led to the initial search, WRC reported. State police on Monday identified the victims as the pilot, Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, and two passengers, David Rabinovitz, 19, of Israel, and Elad Naidik, 20, of Canada.The NTSB established the investigation as Class 3, which means the federal agency will look at safety issues that could reveal the underlying causes of the accident. A final report and recommendations will be release once the NTSB concludes the investigation.