NTSB Publishes Preliminary Report, Releases New Information on Oxford Plane Crash

By Collin Rivera
Hottytoddy.com intern
cmrivera@go.olemiss.edu

In the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), investigator Ed Malinowski confirmed specifics on Starkville resident Lake Little’s plane crash at the Ole Miss Golf Course that occured July 6. The report contained several details including Little’s flight pattern, witness accounts, and model details of the plane.

Smoke from the plane crash as seen from McElroy Drive. Photo provided.

According to the report, Little announced to a fixed base operator at University-Oxford Airport (UOX) that she was in the area and would be landing on runway 9.

“The pilot sounded panicked and did not finish her sentences,” the report reads. 

Little did not respond to the helicopter in the area that was asking for her location and a witness said the plane approached runway 9 with a tailwind, a wind coming from behind the aircraft that increases aircraft speed.

Little’s aircraft did not touch the runway, for a reported touch-and-go, and then proceeded to climb at a “steep” angle. The plane headed towards the Ole Miss Golf Course and a witness saw the plane “go straight down behind the trees.”

Smoke was seen about three minutes later above the treeline. A local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control center called in a few minutes before the landed attempt and a co-worker ultimately ended up calling 911 notifying Oxford Police Department of the crash, the report noted.

First responders attempted to extract Little from the cockpit, but the seatbelt and shoulder harness retained her. A ground fire subsequently occurred and firefighters contained the fire, extracted Little from the cockpit, and airlifted her to a hospital in Memphis. She died from injuries sustained in the crash, Malinoski confirmed. 

Little received her FAA student pilot certificate on Aug. 19, 2017. She had accumulated a total of 69.4 hours of total flight time, 16.7 hours in the last 30 days, and 1.2 hours in the previous 24 hours.

Little is the youngest daughter of Starkville Alderman David Little. She had a passion for flying and had aspirations to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. 

For more information on the crash, visit the report online.