Tuesday, April 06, 2010

NTSB Releases Report on Echelon Air Attack

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report in Joseph Stack's fatal attack on the IRS offices in northwest Austin.

According to the report, Stack took off from the Georgetown Airport at 9:44 a.m. in his Piper PA-28-236 single-engine plane without filing a flight plan, which is common for personal flights. After taking off, Stack headed south. He was observed  flying at an altitude of 4,800 feet by radar at 9:54 a.m. The radar also showed he was turning toward the west.

Just three minutes later, Stack had already descended to 1,000 feet and was heading in a southwest direction, according to radar readings. After that, no further data was recorded.

According to the report, Stack's plane struck the building between the first and second floors, exploding upon impact. The plane's engine, two of the three propeller blades, and the right wing fell outside of the building. The tail was partially hanging over the edge of a ledge, and the left wing, parts of the fuselage, and the third propeller were found inside on the second floor.

The report notes that the FBI took control of the investigation after the crash, since it was intentional.

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