Man killed in Hitchcock plane crash identified

HITCHCOCK, Texas – Federal investigators started their work on Wednesday to determine what caused a deadly plane crash in Hitchcock.

The Department of Public Safety said Brian Arnott, 69, from the Pasadena area was killed.

The plane went down near the intersection of FM 2004 and FM 646 Tuesday night.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator said there wasn't a distress call before the crash, but a 38-year-old man who survived managed to get help.

"After the crash, the surviving person called on his cell phone to 911 emergency and gave directions and they came and picked him up and took him to the hospital,” said Tom Latson, an NTSB Air Safety Investigator.

The survivor was in critical condition Wednesday.

Investigators with DPS believed the two men, who were both pilots, departed from the Pearland Regional Airport. It was unclear where they were headed.

A friend of the men on-board the aircraft told KPRC he believes they were on a scheduled training flight. The man said both were pilots, however, one of the men had far more flying hours in this particular aircraft than the other.

“It was beautiful weather yesterday and there is no requirement for pilots in this airspace to have a flight plan or be followed by air traffic control,” said Latson.

The owner of the 1965 Beechcraft Air Travel said here weren't any previous mechanical issues.

The NTSB will determine if that could've happened Tuesday.

“What I plan to do now is document the scene, document the ground scars, the wreckage that I have there and probably remove as many electronic components containing non-volatile memory that I can,” said Latson.

Arnott was a longtime member of the Bay Area Aero Club. The president of the club said its memberswere saddened by his loss.

Friends said Arnott was a “very experienced pilot” and was well respected by many.

The NTSB was expected to release its initial report next week. The entire investigation could take up to a year.