Report: Plane Changed Course Before Deadly Bloomington Crash
In this Wednesday, April 8, 2015 photo provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB air safety investigator Todd Fox examines the tail section of the Cessna 414A twin-engine aircraft that crashed just short of Central Illinois Regional Airport killing all seven people aboard early Tuesday, April 7. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board)
A preliminary report on the airplane crash that killed seven people near Bloomington confirms the pilot unexpectedly changed course as he approached the airport.
Wednesday's National Transportation Safety Board report on the April 7 crash doesn't indicate why pilot Thomas Hileman flew higher and turned as he neared the runway. As an investigator indicated last week, the pilot showed no signs of distress in radio transmissions.
The plane was returning from the NCAA basketball championship in Indianapolis. Those killed included Hileman, Illinois State University assistant basketball coach Torrey Ward and athletic administrator Aaron Leetch.
The report indicates the plane was descending just after midnight in fog when it turned east before crashing in a nearby farm field.
The investigation continues and the final report could take 12 to 18 months.