US investigators are still trying to understand why a Cessna 550 Citation II was flying at a low height as it attempted to return to Statesville regional airport, before the jet collided with lighting and trees.
It had departed the airport about 10min beforehand and the inquiry has yet to ascertain the reason for the turnback.
National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham has confirmed a “brief text” was transmitted from a passenger to a family member simply reading “emergency landing”.
Investigators probing the 18 December crash are not aware of any other similar communications from those on board.
Graham says early indications from “multiple sources” indicate that the aircraft was “stable on approach” and configured for landing, with its landing lights on, but “coming in low”.
This information, he adds, is “consistent with the debris field” and the initial point of impact some 1,800ft short of runway 28.
NOTAM information for Statesville airport refers to the approach lighting system for runway 28 currently being unavailable, following the accident.
Graham says the inquiry is still gathering information as to who was piloting the Citation. He says the investigators have a “lot of really good information” and are “fairly confident” of the identity of the person in the left-hand cockpit seat.
But he adds that the information still needs to be verified – along with the locations of others on board, for survival factor analysis.
Specialist recovery teams have retrieved avionics components including the ground-proximity warning system, the multifunction display, and a caution and warning panel, to explore whether data can be extracted.
Investigators have also obtained the maintenance logs, while analysts are examining the cockpit-voice recorder.
