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Officials still investigating cause of plane crash
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
A preliminary report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gives limited detail about the plane crash Oct. 6 in Van Zandt County that killed four people, including three Southlake residents.
The crash occurred near Mabank. The Beech A-36 single-engine plane was carrying Keller resident Gregory Ledet, 62, Southlake resident and local dentist Leonard Ledet, 60, and Leonard’s two sons, Paul Ledet, 17, and Mason Ledet, 13.
Paul was a junior at Carroll Senior High School. Mason was an eighth-grader at Carroll Middle School.
The family left Northwest Regional Airport, near Roanoke, at 8:45 a.m. that morning for a flight to Clarksdale, Miss. The plane was scheduled to stop in Athens, Texas for fuel.
According to the report, air traffic control received information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the plane encountered bad weather on its way to Athens. The family requested clearance to divert to Terrell Municipal Airport and was given clearance and a frequency change.
The report stated that at 9:44 a.m., the FAA received the plane’s last reported radar return at an altitude of 2,900 feet.
The report also stated that at 9:53 a.m., the visibility at Terrell’s airport was 10 statute miles with overcast clouds at 600 feet. Other weather conditions include: a wind speed of 10 knots at 20 degrees, an air temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, a dew point of 9 degrees Celsius and an altimeter reading, which measures the altitude of the aircraft, of 30.16 inches of mercury.
According to the report, the plane crashed onto a field about one-half mile east of FM 90 and County Road 2702.
A spokesman for the NTSB said the information in the preliminary report may change and that it could take up to several months for the official cause of the crash to be determined.
On Oct. 10, Carroll ISD hosted a vigil at Dragon Stadium to remember the students. Throughout the week, students also honored Paul and Mason by wearing maroon since the brothers were Texas A&M fans.
The crash occurred near Mabank. The Beech A-36 single-engine plane was carrying Keller resident Gregory Ledet, 62, Southlake resident and local dentist Leonard Ledet, 60, and Leonard’s two sons, Paul Ledet, 17, and Mason Ledet, 13.
Paul was a junior at Carroll Senior High School. Mason was an eighth-grader at Carroll Middle School.
The family left Northwest Regional Airport, near Roanoke, at 8:45 a.m. that morning for a flight to Clarksdale, Miss. The plane was scheduled to stop in Athens, Texas for fuel.
According to the report, air traffic control received information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the plane encountered bad weather on its way to Athens. The family requested clearance to divert to Terrell Municipal Airport and was given clearance and a frequency change.
The report stated that at 9:44 a.m., the FAA received the plane’s last reported radar return at an altitude of 2,900 feet.
The report also stated that at 9:53 a.m., the visibility at Terrell’s airport was 10 statute miles with overcast clouds at 600 feet. Other weather conditions include: a wind speed of 10 knots at 20 degrees, an air temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, a dew point of 9 degrees Celsius and an altimeter reading, which measures the altitude of the aircraft, of 30.16 inches of mercury.
According to the report, the plane crashed onto a field about one-half mile east of FM 90 and County Road 2702.
A spokesman for the NTSB said the information in the preliminary report may change and that it could take up to several months for the official cause of the crash to be determined.
On Oct. 10, Carroll ISD hosted a vigil at Dragon Stadium to remember the students. Throughout the week, students also honored Paul and Mason by wearing maroon since the brothers were Texas A&M fans.
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