Report: Plane Sustained Engine Damage Before Fatal Crash

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board says a plane that crashed at Worcester Regional Airport killing its pilot appears to have sustained engine damage while in operation.

Gary Weller, a 66 year old from Putnam, Conn. was the only occupant in the plane when it crashed Oct. 24. The single-engine, 1996 Mooney M20M plane crashed into the woods as it was taking off.

The preliminary report, which was issued earlier this week, does not give a conclusive cause for the crash. But evidence suggests there was no engine power at impact.

The report also notes there were many broken pieces in the engine, that the plane appears to have crashed "almost straight down" and that there was no evidence of smoke or fire in flight or at the crash site.