(Staff report) - The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report on the crash that killed Kingsbury Grade resident Patrick Charles Samal, 41, was released Friday, but revealed little new information.
The report records the scene of the crash on Ted Bacon's Jubilee Ranch field near the intersection of Foothill and Muller lanes.
According to the report, the Robinson R-44 II helicopter crashed at 8:02 a.m., about seven minutes after Samal left Minden-Tahoe Airport on his way home.
A Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator responded to the scene and found debris covering 100 yards. A four-foot section off the tail boom and tail rotor were found 60 yards from the main wreckage.
The report reveals that Samal fueled the helicopter in Minden on Feb. 2 and again in Madera, Calif., on Feb. 5.
Services for Samal were held Wednesday in Carson City. Samal was the president of A-1 Industries in Redwood City, Calif. He owned a private aircraft based at the airport.