The NTSB has released the probable cause for the July 2011 crash of a Wright “B” Flyer replica in which two people died during a test flight in Springfield, Ohio. After examining the wreck of the experimental airplane, investigators found a crack in a weld on the left propeller shaft, which, according to the NTSB report, “would have prevented the left propeller from being driven by the engine.” Further examination found that the weld was defective.
Witnesses to the accident heard changes in the engine rpm before the airplane spiraled to the ground.
