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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board has identified the probable cause of a plane crash in Virginia that killed a 16-year-old student on a solo flight.
The Daily Progress (http://bit.ly/295XAyD ) reports the agency found Ryan McCall's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff from the Orange County Airport led to the March 29, 2015, crash that killed him.
The report also states it's possible that the plane engine's performance was degraded during takeoff, which would have likely contributed to the plane's loss of control.
The agency found the engine's carburetor produced too much fuel and some of the spark plugs were weak, but it couldn't determine if those conditions affected the engine.
McCall was a sophomore at Riverbend High School. He was flying solo in his first airport-to-airport flight without an instructor in the cockpit.
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Information from: The Daily Progress, http://www.dailyprogress.com
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