Early report on fatal Taylor plane crash released; no cause offered

April 20--The federal agency tasked with investigating a plane crash near Taylor that killed two earlier this month issued preliminary findings Wednesday but did not report a cause.

The report by National Transportation Safety Board investigators studied the crash that killed Mick Brethower of Georgetown and Hubert Davis of the Houston area.

It states that the two departed from Georgetown Municipal Airport the morning of April 9 without a flight plan. Brethower was to accumulate more flight hours for insurance purposes while Davis, a flight instructor, acted as the co-pilot. During the flight, the two intended to practice flying the twin-engine plane on a single engine, the report said.

About 10 minutes after the Rockwell International 690B aircraft took off, it disappeared off the radar and crashed, the report said. The plane was at an altitude of about 5,000 feet and was travelling at about 100 mph when it disappeared, the report said.

The plane burst into flames after crashing in a field about 10 miles northeast of Taylor near the intersection of FM 1331 and County Road 429.

Records from the Federal Aviation Administration listed Brethower as the owner of the plane. The plane was manufactured in 1978, the FAA records aid.

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