NTSB releases final report on Hartwell plane crash

HARTWELL, Ga. (FOX Carolina) – The National Transportation Safety Board released its final investigative report Saturday into a plane crash that killed a pilot in Lake Hartwell two years ago.

Todd Jeffrey Carrell, 55, was the sole occupant of a Beechcraft B55 that crashed into Lake Hartwell on September 10, 2022. The North Port, Florida, resident's body was recovered by officials five days later.

The NTSB's final report states that Carrell's final communication with air traffic control was consistent with the belief that a pilot was experiencing spatial disorientation, resulting in a loss of flight control.

According to the report, Carrell missed multiple landing attempts at Anderson Regional Airport. Carrell reportedly told air traffic control, “I think the gyro might be a problem here” and that it needed to be “reset” before it lost contact.

Investigators found no defects in the plane's flight instruments before impact, although many were damaged on impact.

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