JUNE 18, 2015
LIBERTY TWP., OHIO
A probable cause has been determined for a plane crash that
killed two brothers last year in Liberty Twp.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board
said Jeff Krummen, 40, of West Chester Twp., and Steve Krummen, 49, of
Deerfield Twp., died when their amateur-built Manweiler Acro Sport II stunt
plane stalled and crashed Sept. 20.
The biplane struck the side of a home in the 5300 block of
Sunrise View Circle before crashing and bursting into flames in the backyard of
the home, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
NTSB said probable cause of the accident was failure to
maintain control of the plane after an aerodynamic stall or spin occurred
during aerobatic maneuvers.
Those maneuvers caused the plane to lose engine power “for
reasons that could not be determined during post-accident examinations,” according
to the accident report.
Witnesses told the NTSB that the brothers were performing
aerobatic maneuvers in the experimental amateur-built airplane.
One witness said she heard the airplane approaching, then
saw it and noted that it was at a lower altitude than she normally saw aircraft
in the area.
“The airplane then started to pitch nose up into a loop,”
according to the report. “As the airplane reached the top of the looping
maneuver, the sound of the engine stopped, and the airplane then immediately
started descending.”
The witness lost sight of the airplane behind some trees as
it entered a spin, but heard the sound “consistent with the pilot adding engine
power.”
An examination of the engine and flight controls did not
reveal any abnormalities that would have impacted the plane’s ability to
operate, NTBS officials said.
A weight and balance calculation showed that the airplane
was within its limits, officials said.
Investigators could not determine which brother was in
control of the plane at the time of the crash, according to the report.