On Sept. 5, a fatal plane crash occurred in northwest Fresno, California, and a preliminary report was released by the National Transportation Safety Board. The four members of the Eady family who died in the crash were Danna Eady, who piloted the aircraft, her husband Craig, and their two youngest sons. Danna succumbed to her injuries in the evening of Sept. 5, while Craig died two days later, on Sept. 7, from severe burn wounds.
ABC13 Houston’s report paints a picture of a radio problem, a mechanic’s brief look at the plane, and a takeoff that went wrong. It does not yet answer the central question of why the plane crashed. That will take more investigation, and the board’s experts are still piecing together the evidence.
The Takeoff and Its Abort
Surveillance video shows Danna Eady and the three other passengers boarding a Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5 airplane at the owner’s home located at the Sierra Sky Park Airport. The plane began its takeoff and aborted halfway down the runway, turning around at the end of the runway to return to the owner’s home.
The text messages between Danna and the owner reveal she was dealing with a radio problem. Further messages show the owner contacted a mechanic to help fix it. A few minutes after that, the mechanic arrived, looked at the plane, and it was seen taxiing toward the runway for the second time shortly afterward.
John Nance, an ABC News Aviation Consultant, draws this conclusion from the same detail, suggesting the mechanic likely did little more than check the radio.
“I seriously doubt it was anything more than the radio at that particular point or probably the takeoff would’ve not continued,” Nance said.
The Takeoff That Pitched Up
People standing near the pathway saw the aircraft start its takeoff run, and then, as it became airborne, the nose suddenly climbed. Nance identifies that observation as a key detail.
“It pitched up suddenly at the end of takeoff, which an experienced instructor would not normally do. Would not do, accept in response to something,” Nance said.
Witnesses say the engine sounded weak but did not misfire or sputter. The report notes that the airplane kept moving along the runway at a distance of “nose-high attitude” 30 to 40 feet above the ground. A separate surveillance video captures the plane still on the runway before it moves out of view of the camera.
Where the Plane Crashed
The aircraft came down roughly 1,000 feet northwest of the runway’s end at the top of a hillside close to trees. The first point of contact was with a large branch near the top of a 40-foot tree that had recently been cut to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements for the airport.
The aircraft ended up upright after the crash, though its nose landing gear was detached and discovered higher up the hill near the trees that had been hit. The fire that broke out following the crash destroyed the aircraft, with the blaze consuming roughly one acre of ground around the point of impact.
Emergency crews discovered Danna and Craig Eady outside the wreckage with severe injuries, while their sons were found dead at the scene later. Both were brought to the hospital. Danna passed away on the evening of September 5 as a result of injuries from the crash. Craig had been badly burned, and he died two days later, on Sept. 7, with his oldest son and daughter present among the family members who surrounded him.
What the Report Does Not Say
This initial document simply sets out the evidence rather than offering a final judgment. It relies on witness accounts and the surveillance video to establish the chain of events that ended the flight. What remains unclear is the cause behind the takeoff’s failure.
The report offers a hint at what could have driven the disaster, according to Nance, but he stresses that complete information remains out of reach. He singles out weight and balance as the most pressing area of concern.
“There’s a real puzzle here that gets to the heart in my view, looking closely at weight and balance, and anything else that might’ve affected the fight controls of the airplane,” Nance said.
The Chain of Events
- Danna Eady and the three passengers boarded the Grumman AA-5 at the owner’s home at Sierra Sky Park Airport.
- The plane aborted its takeoff halfway down the runway, turned around, and returned to the owner’s home.
- The owner contacted a mechanic to troubleshoot a radio problem.
- The mechanic arrived and looked at the plane a few minutes before it taxied for the second takeoff.
- The plane began its second takeoff, and its nose pitched up suddenly at the end of the runway.
- The engine sounded weak but did not misfire or sputter.
- The plane continued down the runway with a nose-high attitude 30 to 40 feet above ground.
- The crash occurred approximately 1,000 feet northwest of the end of the runway at the top of a slope near trees.
- The plane came to rest upright, but the nose landing gear was separated and found uphill near the impacted trees.
- The plane caught fire and burned about one acre around the crash site.
What Comes Next
The remains were brought to a secure building for closer examination, and that is where investigators will search for answers to the weight and balance question that Nance raised. The report states that the engine produced a weak sound but did not misfire or sputter, a detail that could prove significant in evaluating how the aircraft performed.
Four members of the family were killed in the crash. Danna passed away on the evening of Sept. 5. Craig followed two days later, surrounded by family. The two surviving children were not aboard the plane at the time of the crash.
The initial report is a preliminary look at the evidence, not a final judgment. It sets out what witnesses observed and what was caught on camera. It charts the chain of events leading to the crash, but it offers no explanation for why the takeoff failed.
The inquiry will go on, and the truths might emerge in the months to come. Until then, the Eady family and the public are left with a mystery that has barely started to be resolved.
Source material: “NTSB releases preliminary report on northwest Fresno, California plane crash that killed 4 Eady family members,” ABC13 Houston.
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