The pilot of a plane that crashed near Hardy sent texts to family while in flight noting limited visibility and lack of fuel before the fatal Dec. 26 accident, according to a report from federal authorities.
The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office provided the NTSB “copies of text messages the pilot sent to a family member while in flight. One text message stated, ‘ran into weather can’t see anything’ and another text message later stated, ‘out of gas in air.'”
Bradley Dunham, 57, of Bono, the pilot of the Cessna 172E, and his passenger, Christine Ann Price, 52, of Walnut Ridge, were killed in the crash, according to the Spring River Chronicle.
A preliminary review indicated the plane first appeared on radar about 13 nautical miles north of the Walnut Ridge Regional Airport around 4:30 p.m. According to track data included in the NTSB report, abrupt changes in ground speed, altitude, and flight direction were recorded after the plane attempted an approach to the Sharp County Regional Airport sometime after 5:22 p.m.
The report said a witness who lived near the accident site reported “heavy fog” in the area at the time of the crash, which authorities say occurred at 5:29 p.m.
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