Las Vegas NowPreliminary Report, 911 Calls From Deadly Small Plane Crash

Preliminary Report, 911 Calls From Deadly Small Plane Crash

The NTSB has released the preliminary report on the crash of a Piper Navajo twin engine plane and Eyewitness News had obtained the 911 calls made as the plane crashed into a neighborhood.

Read the NTSB's Preliminary Report of the crash

It was clear that eyewitnesses on the ground knew something was seriously wrong long before the plane hit the house on Jones near Cheyenne.

Eyewitnesses in the Red Rock area reported to 911 operators that the plane was on fire. Immediately after the twin engine Navajo took off from the North Las Vegas Airport, the pilot reported that he had a rough running engine. '

Listen to the 911 calls

According to the preliminary accident report, the pilot declared an emergency and requested to immediately return to runway 07. The first 9-11 calls came from people north of Summerlin.

"There's an airplane that's on fire. It's over by the Red Rock Canyon area. It's a two prop airplane. It just flew over me," one caller told the operator.

"I mean it's a big fire. The whole wing, corner tip of his wing on fire," said another caller.

According to the preliminary crash report, the pilot on the plane, Bill Leahy, was taking the plane to Korea. Mechanics at North Las Vegas Airport took out the seats and fitted the plane with extra fuel tanks. Leahy was taking the plane to Palo Alto to fill the extra gas tanks and then go on to Korea for a new owner.

The NTSB report says about one mile from the airport, the plane hit a line of trees, clipped power lines, hit an unoccupied car in the driveway of a house on Jones, and then hit the home and exploded.

The pilot died in the crash. The five people in the house escaped without injury. The NTSB is looking at the engine, propellers, and fuel system for a cause.