Piper PA-31T Went Down Just After Takeoff From Lafayette Regional Airport

A Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II went down shortly after takeoff Saturday from Lafayette Regional Airport (KLFT) resulting in the fatal injury of five of the six people on board.

The plane was en route to Atlanta, GA for a college football playoff game involving Louisiana State. CNN reports that officials have identified the five people fatally injured in the accident as pilot Ian Biggs, Robert Vaughn Crisp II, Carley Ann McCord, Gretchen D. Vincent and 15-year-old Michael Walker Vincent.

McCord, the daughter-in-law of  Louisiana State University Offensive Coordinator Steve Ensminger and a sports reporter for television station WDSU in New Orleans.

According to the NTSB, the plane went down shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time about four miles from the airport. The takeoff was normal through about 900 feet of altitude before the plane entered a descending left bank and impacted terrain. NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said in a media briefing that visibility was very low due to dense fog but "flyable" at the time the airplane departed KLFT.

Landsberg reported that the pilot had logged more than 1,500 hours of flight time. His latest medical certificate was issued in November. The plane had last flown December 18 from Houston to Lafayette. Its most recent maintenance had been completed in October. There was no distress call from the pilot prior to the accident. Witnesses said they saw the plane flying close to the ground and "shaking" before it contacted power lines and then impacted the ground.

The person on the plane who survived the accident was identified as Stephen Wade Berzas. He suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash. Three people on the ground working at a post office near the accident scene were reportedly treated for smoke inhalation, according to the Lafayette Fire Department.

A preliminary report will be published by the NTSB within the next two weeks, Landsberg said.

(Image from NTSB video)

FMI: Source report