
Only the name of one victim has been released by the Coroner’s office.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have yet to begin their probe into the cause of a single-engine plane crash at Gass Peak last Tuesday, partly because the wreckage is in such rugged terrain.
The location is also the reason LVMPD's Search and Rescue Team waited four days after the crash to assist in the recovery of the bodies of the three victims on board.
Only the name of one victim has been released by the Coroner’s office.
He’s identified as Gregory Akers of Henderson, described on his business website as an aviation expert and photographer.
The release of the names of the other two victims onboard is pending.
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According to aviation expert Reed Yadon, Gass Peak would be one of the worst possible places for a pilot to experience an emergency.
“It's not fair to speculate on what went wrong. What could have gone wrong? It could be anything from engine failure to severe turbulence to limited visibility,” said Yadon. “Night was coming on, and simply slamming into the mountain.”
The NTSB tells News 3, that investigators have some options to examine the wreckage, as they try to pinpoint a cause. It may be possible to photograph the crash site from the air and have the wreckage brought off the mountain for inspection.
The NTSB says it may also be possible for a crash investigator to reach the crash site to personally view the wreckage.
Reed Yadon says, "either way, there may not be much to see."
“The object is to try to get any wreckage of the aircraft and try to retrieve it for investigation purposes,” said Yadon. “We also don't know how much of the aircraft is left. It appears there was an intense fire that burned for a couple of minutes so you have to believe that a good deal of the aircraft was destroyed.”
Ironically, Yadon says this type of aircraft, a Cirrus SR-22, is equipped with a parachute that can be deployed by the pilot in the event of a mechanical failure.
“You simply pull a pin and pull a lever, and at that point, the aircraft is going to ride down on a parachute,” said Yadon. “But in the mountains, it's another thing, and that's what we're dealing with.”
The NTSB says its preliminary findings into the cause of the crash are still 2 to 24 months away.