SAN ANTONIO – The National Transportation Safety Board has finished their initial investigation into a Sunday plane crash near Stinson Airport. But pinpointing the cause may take months.
Meanwhile, the names of the two people killed have been released. According to the medical examiner, 63-year-old Willie Bolton and 54-year-old Forrest Horecka Jr. were killed in the crash. It is unclear which of the two men was the pilot.
Little remains of the 1966 Mooney M-20-E -- a single-engine, four-passenger plane -- which crashed and burst into flames after it took off from Stinson Airport.
Tom Latson, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said they had just left for Fredericksburg to update the aircraft's avionics, when the pilot tried to return to Stinson.
He said that was the reason for pilot's final radio transmission that was "not complete."
"The controller looked up and saw the aircraft headed towards the ground, and shortly after that, the controller saw black smoke," Latson said.
Latson said the plane's nose and propeller hit the ground first before fire overtook the wreckage.
Latson he has wrapped up his on-scene investigation, including reviewing flight log books, maintenance records and much more.
He would not address specific problems, such as whether the plane may have stalled out, but Latson said he has partially disassembled the charred and mangled wreckage that will be stored in a hangar in the Dallas for further study.
Latson much more analysis is needed before the five-members of the NTSB are able to issue a probable cause, a process that could take months.
For more information on the plane, click here.