NTSB: Elevator jammed on University of Michigan plane that slid off runway

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigative update released Wednesday does not indicate probable cause for the Michigan basketball team’s charter plane incident on March 8 beyond that it was an aborted takeoff, but it does share some new information.

A preliminary report from the NTSB on Tuesday said the Michigan charter “rejected takeoff” at Willow Run Airport. The report said wind speeds at the time were 35 knots (about 40 mph) with gusts of 50 knots (about 56 mph).

In the latest update, the NTSB indicates the right elevator — there is a left and a right and they are the primary means of controlling the airplane’s pitch — was jammed in a “trailing edge-down position (airplane nose down).”

The NTSB update makes clear it does not provide “probable cause” for the incident and does not offer analysis of the information collected so far. The investigation is ongoing and “no conclusions regarding the cause of the incident should be made from this preliminary investigation.” An investigation generally takes 12-18 months to complete.

Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2017/03/22/ntsb-probable-cause-yet-um-plane-incident/99496896/