The plane crash that killed former NFL tight end Russ Francis occurred after the plane’s engine apparently lost power, a federal investigator said Tuesday.
The incident happened Sunday around 4 p.m. at the Lake Placid Airport in Upstate New York Lake Placid News.
New York State Police, the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad, Department of Environmental Conservation rangers and area emergency services reportedly responded.
However, Francis is believed to have died in the crash, along with Richard McSpadden, Senior Vice President of the Pilots Association.
Francis, 70, and McSpadden, 63, had just taken off from Lake Placid Airport in a single-engine Cessna 177 on Sunday afternoon when the plane ran into trouble. The plane, which has two control columns, had turned around in an attempt to land, officials said.
The plane crash that killed former NFL tight end Russ Francis (pictured) occurred after the craft’s engine apparently lost power in Upstate New York
The Lake Placid Fire Department works to recover a crashed plane that killed two people, including Francis
The New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers were killed along with the pilot
“The engine apparently lost power,” National Transportation Safety Board investigator Todd Gunther said during a briefing Tuesday. “The pilot, or pilots in this case, turned back to the runway.”
Gunther said the plane struck a berm at the end of the runway and fell about 30 feet into a ravine. according to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
Multiple witnesses told investigators that the pilots radioed to say they had a problem and were returning to the airport, Gunther said.
Two aircraft were involved in a planned photo shoot of the 1976 Cessna that Francis and McSpadden flew. The photographer’s plane took off first, followed by the Cessna, the newspaper said.
Francis was an experienced pilot and president of Lake Placid Airways, which operates charter and sightseeing flights.
Gunther said the investigation team will work in Lake Placid until Friday to gather material for a preliminary report on the crash. A subsequent factual report will include an analysis and probable cause of the crash.
Francis played for the Patriots from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1987 to 1989.
Between those two stints in New England, he played in San Francisco from 1982 to 1987, where he won Super Bowl XIX over the Miami Dolphins.
Retired NFL star Russ Francis dies along with pilot in plane crash in Upstate New York
Francis, pictured playing for the 49ers, and Pilots Association Senior Vice President Richard McSpadden reportedly died in the crash in Upstate New York
He was also a second-team All-Pro twice in his career, a first-round draft pick and a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Francis had purchased Lake Placid Airways with Rives Potts, 74, before Sunday’s crash.
The Patriots icon was a huge Flying fan, with his son’s mother, Kate Naiman, paying tribute to him on Facebook.
“I am shocked to share that my son’s father, NFL great Russ Francis, passed away along with a friend in a plane crash on Sunday afternoon,” the message read. “One of the hardest things I ever did was saying those words to Michael.
“Sending aloha to Russ’ partner Jaxie, to Michael’s sister Rachel and brother Riley, to Russ’ sister, Pixie, and brothers Bill and Uncle. My heart aches for all of you.
‘For Russ, flying was like breathing… it came naturally and he lived for it. He flew his P-51 Mustang for practice and landed in the stadium parking lot, where he really pissed off Bill Walsh. It will provide some comfort to know that he died doing what he loved most, but not today. Not today.’