WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal investigators say pilot error caused a private jet to crash into a house in suburban Maryland, killing a woman and two of her young children.
The National Transportation Safety Board concluded at a meeting on Tuesday that the pilot failed to turn on the plane's de-icing equipment in near-freezing temperatures, causing ice to accumulate on the wings. That meant the jet approached the runway at Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg too slowly, and the plane stalled in mid-air and crashed into the home, less than 1 mile from the runway.
The house was engulfed in a fireball immediately after the crash on Dec. 8, 2014. Marie Gemmell and her sons, 3-year-old Cole and 1-month-old Devin, died as she attempted to shield them from the smoke and flames.
