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Details released in Alaska plane crash investigation

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Details released in Alaska plane crash investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board has released some details in the investigation into a plane crash that killed two Greenville families.The de Havilland DHC-3 Otter crashed in Alaska Sunday.The Antonakos and McManus families and the pilot were killed in the crash. Click here to read more about the families.The plane was flying the families from Soldotna Airport to Bear Mountain Lodge.NTSB board member Earl Weener said the plane was in the air before it crashed and hit the ground in a right wing down, nose roll position. He said the propeller showed evidence of rotation on impact.Weener said all the bodies were found inside the plane and some were still in their seat belts.He said the wreckage was found 2,320 feet from the departure runway and 88 feet off the right side of the runway.According to Weener, the control cables and connections to the flight control surfaces were intact at the time of the crash.Investigators said they recovered five cellphones which have been sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C.They said they will see if there is any evidence on the cellphones that allow them to better understand what happened in the last moments of the flight.Weener said investigators continue to gather information about the plane manufacturer, ownership and details of the trip including weight and balance.Weener said the plane did have a device called SPOT.He said these devices can be set by the pilot to send information such as altitude and speed to satellite uplink.Weener said the wreckage from the crash has been moved to a hangar and the engine and propeller are being sent to a lab for investigation. The rest of the wreckage is being analyzed at the scene.     

The National Transportation Safety Board has released some details in the investigation into a plane crash that killed two Greenville families.

The de Havilland DHC-3 Otter crashed in Alaska Sunday.

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The Antonakos and McManus families and the pilot were killed in the crash. Click here to read more about the families.

The plane was flying the families from Soldotna Airport to Bear Mountain Lodge.

NTSB board member Earl Weener said the plane was in the air before it crashed and hit the ground in a right wing down, nose roll position. He said the propeller showed evidence of rotation on impact.

Weener said all the bodies were found inside the plane and some were still in their seat belts.

He said the wreckage was found 2,320 feet from the departure runway and 88 feet off the right side of the runway.

According to Weener, the control cables and connections to the flight control surfaces were intact at the time of the crash.

Investigators said they recovered five cellphones which have been sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C.

They said they will see if there is any evidence on the cellphones that allow them to better understand what happened in the last moments of the flight.

Weener said investigators continue to gather information about the plane manufacturer, ownership and details of the trip including weight and balance.

Weener said the plane did have a device called SPOT.

He said these devices can be set by the pilot to send information such as altitude and speed to satellite uplink.

Weener said the wreckage from the crash has been moved to a hangar and the engine and propeller are being sent to a lab for investigation. The rest of the wreckage is being analyzed at the scene.