The father of a Hope College student who died in a 2010 plane …
David Otai, who was flying the plane that crashed Sunday (Jan. 17, 2010, courtesy his Facebook page)
The preliminary report on the plane crash that killed two Hope …
The chapel at Hope College dedicated its usual Sunday evening …
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Report: Hope pilot got 'lost in fog'
NTSB report not complete on Jan. 17 crash
Updated: Monday, 25 Jan 2010, 12:46 PM EST
Published : Monday, 25 Jan 2010, 12:46 PM EST
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The preliminary report on the plane crash that killed two Hope College students indicates the pilot got disoriented in bad weather before he crashed in a snow-covered field on January 17.
The pilot, David Otai, was planning to give airplane rides to his friends. But that morning, he canceled one flight because of bad weather.
Emma Biagioni was his passenger on the second flight. According to the NTSB report, a lineman heard an airplane make three passes over the Tulip City airport but couldn't see it. On another pass, the witness saw the Cessna Skyhawk 172 flying east to west about 50 feet above the ground and that the plane "barely cleared the trees."
Otai then called Muskegon approach control and said he had gotten "lost in the fog" and needed "an emergency IFR back to Tulip City."
The plane crashed shortly after.
The NTSB continues to investigate. A final report has not yet been completed.
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