Feds urge pilots to check equipment in investigation of Auburn plane crash

AUBURN, Wash. - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a critical update on a tragic plane crash in Auburn in early June.

The pilot died after his small plane crashed into the roof of a business in Auburn, near 400 C Street NW.

The NTSB issued its preliminary findings just weeks after the crash, which is an unusually fast turnaround for investigations of this nature. This unusual speed reflects the risk to other pilots and people on the ground.

In this case, both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA said the steering went out on Van's RV-12 plane he was flying, which led to the pilot's fatal crash.

Just seconds before the wreck, 43-year-old Jesse Norling's last radio transmission indicated he’d lost all flight controls as he tried to land. Norling was killed on impact.

Parts of the plane were scattered across the area as the fuselage crashed through and into the workspaces below. Two people were down there, but no one else was injured.

Inspection of the controls on the RV-12 show a "nut-and-bolt joint" holding part of the steering system together was put in backward.

The NTSB reports show the way it was installed allowed it to unthread and detach.

The result: a complete loss of steering ability.

The plane’s manufacturer, Van's, is based out of Aurora, Oregon. The company is following the NTSB’s lead, issuing a safety notice to all RV-12 owners and operators, urging them to check their control systems and make sure they didn't make the same mistake during installation.

The RV-12 was designed specifically so that it could be built by one person using simple hand tools in a garage.

As many as 792 RV-12s have been built, according to the latest production numbers.

You may recall the NTSB did a similar fast-track safety alert in the devastating 2022 floatplane crash off Whidbey Island, after investigators found that a standard steering part in the tail of the plane had a catastrophic failure. 10 people, including a family of three, died in that wreck.

Pilots are asked to inspect their control stick assembly and connection before any further flights.