STONE COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT/KARK) – Officials have released the preliminary report of a plane crash that resulted in a Mississippi man’s death.
Van Buren County Judge Dale James told content partner KARK-TV that 68-year-old Robert Phillip Mathis of Corinth, Mississippi, was flying from Fayetteville on Oct. 29 when his plane went down near the Stone County line.
A preliminary report released on Dec. 9 by the National Transportation Safety Board said that the morning of the crash, Mathis flew the plane from Corinth to an avionics shop in Fayetteville to fix an autopilot issue.
“A visual inspection revealed that there were two loose bolts securing the autopilot pitch servo capstan assembly to the servo mount bracket,” the report stated. “Additionally, the elevator pitch control bridle cable appeared to be over-tightened. The autopilot pitch servo was removed for bench testing and was not reinstalled before the accident flight.”
Upon further examination, the technician found “excessive grease” on the pitch trim cable. …