NTSB Says Inhofe Reported Left Engine Failure Just Before the Crash
Nov. 20--A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Tuesday shows that Perry Inhofe reported engine failure before his plane crashed near Owasso.
Dr. Perry Dyson Inhofe II, the son of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, died in the Nov. 10 crash.
The preliminary report appears to confirm witness reports that the plane, a Mitsubishi MU-2 twin-engine, had only one engine operating when it turned away from Tulsa International Airport, its intended destination.
As Perry Inhofe was making his approach, radar data shows the airplane began a left turn, according to the report.
The air traffic controller asked the pilot about the turn, to which the pilot reported a control problem, according to the report.
The controller then asked if Perry Inhofe needed assistance, and he replied that the left engine was shut down.
The controller then declared an emergency for the aircraft and asked about the "number of souls onboard the airplane and the fuel remaining," which was the last communication with Perry Inhofe, according to the report.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane's wings rocking back and forth before the plane went into a "steep spiral to the left" and disappeared from view, according to the report.
At the scene of the wreck, the NTSB report indicated that the left engine propeller was in a "feathered position," which is further indication that the left engine had shut down.
The plane model Perry Inhofe flew has been the subject of several past lawsuits and a special federal regulation that requires all Mitsubishi MU-2 pilots to have additional training.
Terry Williams, NTSB spokesman, said Tuesday's report does not indicate whether Inhofe had the required training.
"That is part of the investigation that we will be looking at," Williams said.
The plane was a Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 twin turboprop built in 1974, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
A Tulsa World analysis of National Transportation Safety Board data shows that 17.5 percent of all MU-2 models built have been the subject of NTSB investigations between 1982 and 2011 -- the time frame available for review on NTSB's website.
The Mitsubishi manufacturer has 703 planes in its MU-2 fleet, according to the model's official website.
The NTSB undertook 123 investigations in the 1982-2011 time frame involving the MU-2, 53 of which involved deaths.
Scott Sobel, a spokesman for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries -- the company that manufactures the MU-2 -- said the aircraft model has become the safest airplane in its class since 2008, when the FAA began to implement special training.
Not including Perry Inhofe's crash, the MU-2 had one fatal accident since the special regulation was added, according to NTSB data.
Sobel said Mitsubishi had requested the FAA to add special regulations since the 1990s.
Jarrel Wade 918-581-8367
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