A small private plane struck a high tension power line Jan. 13 as the pilot was attempting to land at Oxford-Waterbury Airport, according to a preliminary investigative report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The plane catapulted 400 feet before crashing into the ground near the end of runway 36, according to the report.
The crash took the life of John W. “Bill” Foster, a 49-year-old former NASA engineer who worked as a top executive at FuelCell Energy, headquartered in Danbury. Foster lived in Bethesda, Md. and ran the company’s Washington, D.C. office.
The preliminary report states Foster struck the high tension line about 200 feet below path indicator lights. The plane crashed just before 5 p.m. in nighttime conditions, the report states.
No official cause has been determined. A final report could take up to a year, according to the NTSB.
Foster, a veteran pilot, built the Glasair III himself, spending some 2,000 hours to get the job done, according to his obituary.
The NTSB has taken possession of the plane.
