Federal investigators release report on Idaho plane crash

SPOKANE — The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report of the facts of a fatal Idaho plane crash involving two airplanes.

The mid-air accident over Lake Coeur d’Alene killed eight people July 5, KREM-TV reports.

The agency’s report said a de Havilland aircraft and a Cessna collided around 2 p.m., killing the pilots and passengers in both planes.

The victims in the de Havilland float plane were identified as pilot Neil Lunt, David Sorensen of Clayton, California, professional golfer Sean Frederickson, and Frederickson’s son and two step children.

The victims in the Cessna were identified as Jay Cawley of Lewiston, Idaho, and Kelly Kreeger of Auburn, California.

Witnesses told investigators the airplanes were around 700 to 800 feet (213 to 244 meters) above the lake. The Cessna may have been slightly lower than the de Havilland when they collided, the report said.

There was no radar or automatic dependent surveillance broadcast data for either plane, the report said.

Witnesses saw a fireball come from one of the airplanes as they descended into the water, the report said.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported the wreckage of both planes was submerged under nearly 130 feet (40 meters) of water before being removed from the lake.