A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board reveals new information about the small plane crash at Eagle Mountain Lake that killed a North Richland Hills man.
On Oct. 7 around 12:40 p.m., the Tarrant Regional Water District received a call about the single-engine plane that crashed into the north side of Eagle Mountain Lake and sank into the water, district spokesman Chad Lorance told the Star-Telegram.
The pilot, 60-year-old Stephen Lee Spence, died in the accident. He was the only person on board the plane, officials said.
Spence took off in his Champion 7EC from the private Flying Oaks Airport near Fort Worth on a local flight. His family told investigators he planned to land at an unknown location for lunch and then return to the airport, the report said. No escape plan has been submitted.
Weather conditions were clear that day, which would have allowed Spence to fly under visual meteorological conditions, the report said.
Security video footage obtained from private property on the shore of Eagle Mountain Lake shows the plane gradually descending at a 45-degree angle, the report said. The body of the aircraft was structurally intact before it hit the water.
The plane came to rest nose-down in the lake at a depth of about 10 feet, the report said. Both wings and fuselage suffered extensive damage.
According to the report, the wreckage of the plane has been moved to a secure location for examination. Part of the engine and the right wing were not recovered from the lake.
The preliminary report did not rule on the cause of the crash and the investigation continues.
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Spence had a private pilot certificate with a land rating for a single-engine aircraft, according to the report. He purchased the Champion 7EC in November 2004 and received his most recent FAA medical certificate in December 2008.
According to his obituary, Spence “had two great passions in his life: his family and aviation. From a very young age, Steve built many types of model airplanes, a hobby he shared with his father and later with his sons. Steve competed in local, national and even international flying competitions.”
Spence worked at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth for more than twenty years.
As a fan of the Dallas Stars hockey team, he regularly flew in the hot air balloon during games, according to his obituary.
“If it had wings, Steve could fly it,” the obituary reads. “If it didn’t have wings, Steve could build them, attach them and fly them too.”
Spence is survived by family, including his wife, Starr Spence, and two sons, Michael and Jonathan.
