A nearly three-year-long investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board into what led to the plane crash that killed the pilot and WVUE-TV news anchor Nancy Park comes to a conclusion.
According to the NTSB report, the pilot, Franklin J.P. Augustus, 69, lost control of the small plane for “undetermined reasons”.
On August 16, 2019, Parker, 53, was on assignment filming a documentary on the pilot which included her flying with him as he demonstrated aerobatic maneuvers.
Parker’s cameraman, Chris Russell told investigators she was nervous about flying in the plane but said she would “still go through with the story no matter how worried she was,” as The Times-Picayune | The Advocate reports.
“The airplane departed and turned onto the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern. The pilot requested to return to the airport but did not specify the reason for the return. A witness described the airplane as, “unstable” and “wiggling,” and said that the engine was sputtering before the airplane impacted the ground and burst into flames,” said the NTSB report.
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The report also says the small stunt bi-plane impacted the ground at a 45 degree “nose-down pitch” shortly after take-off and was consumed by the “post-impact fire” which ultimately claimed the life of Augustus and Parker.
“Examination of the flight controls and engine did not reveal any obvious pre-impact anomalies, although severe fire damage precluded complete examination. The wooden propeller blades were severely fractured and splintered, consistent with powered rotation at the time of impact. The reason for the loss of control and impact with terrain could not be determined based on the available information,” said the report.
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There was no evidence of an onboard fire before impact. Post-crash toxicology reports show drug or alcohol impairment by the pilot was not a factor.
Although damaged by the fire, the flight controls were determined to be working at the time of the crash, and the final cause of the crash could not be determined.
Augustus was a certified flight instructor. He led the Lake Charles chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which honor African-American pilots who served during World War II. He leaves behind a daughter and two grandchildren.
Parker, an award-winning journalist, is survived by her husband Glynn “Glen” Boyd, and their three children: Piper, Pierce, and Parker.