FARMINGTON, Pa. (AP) - Federal investigators have concluded a plane crash on the grounds of a posh Pennsylvania resort that killed three Maryland men stemmed from a front cabin door opening during takeoff.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the National Transportation Safety Board says the open door caused the small plane to stall and crash shortly after takeoff from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in December 2015.
Investigators say pilot Terry Carlson, of Kensington, Maryland, tried to return and land but lost control of the plane, possibly because he was under the influence of an amphetamine that could have caused palpitations or fainting.
Carlson and Jason Willems, of Silver Spring, Maryland, were pronounced dead after the crash. Carlson's son Erick Carlson, of Rockville, Maryland, died a day later at a trauma center.
