SALT LAKE CITY — A plane crash that killed two Weber County couples in 2017 was not caused by any kind of mechanical failure, transportation officials say.
While several factors may have contributed to the crash, it’s still unknown what exactly led pilot Layne Clarke to lose control of the private plane after taking off from Ogden-Hinckley Airport on July 26, 2017, a recently released final report from the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.
Shortly after takeoff, the Beech A36 Bonanza crashed down onto I-15 in Riverdale, about a half mile away from the airport. Clarke, 48, and his wife, 46-year-old Diana Clarke, were killed in the crash, along with passengers Perry and Sarah Huffaker, ages 45 and 42.
An examination of the plane after the accident found it was “unlikely that the pilot experienced a loss of engine power or mechanical failure during the takeoff,” the final report states.
While the reason why Clarke lost control remains unknown, the plane was holding close to its maximum gross weight in passengers, according to the report. The weight of the plane, combined with a high density altitude, may have negatively affected the plane’s performance during takeoff.
Whether Clarke had taken these factors into account before takeoff could not be determined, investigators said.
Witnesses who saw the plane take off said the engine sounded “underpowered” and that “the tail of the airplane was moving up and down as if the pilot was struggling to keep the airplane airborne,” the report notes.
Soon after takeoff, Clarke told the tower controller that the plane was going down.
The Clarkes and Huffakers were reportedly on their way to Island Park, Idaho, for a vacation together that day. The Clarkes lived in Taylor, and the Huffakers lived in West Haven. The couples were close friends, the Clarkes’ Latter-day Saint bishop said.
In October 2017, the Huffakers’ daughter and representative of their estate, McKenzie Huffaker, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2nd District Court against Donette Crayton, who represents the estate of Layne and Diana Clarke, claiming the Clarkes were negligent by “failing to use reasonable care in the ownership and or operation of the airplane.” The case is ongoing.
Another lawsuit filed in federal court against the Wisconsin-based Eagle Fuel Cells, alleging a fuel bladder on Beech A36TC was faulty, was dismissed last month for a lack of jurisdiction.