Pilot noticed electrical problem before deadly Lee County plane crash: NTSB

SANFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- The National Transportation Safety Board released its initial report on the Lee County plane crash that left a family of four dead.

The plane that left Merritt Island, Florida, was heading to the Raleigh Executive Jetport in Sanford on July 7.

According to the report, the plane stopped transmitting while it was over the Atlantic Ocean. The pilot told air traffic control that they were having electrical problems, but said it was "not an emergency" and said they would continue on to their destination.

The pilot's wife, who was also on board, then called the jetport to report they did not have navigational or communication equipment, later saying that they needed to make an emergency landing.

No other communications were recorded, and the plane was later found crashed in a field between Wallace Creek Lane and Riddle Road.

The four victims in the crash were identified as Travis Buchanan, 35, Candace Buchanan, 35, Aubrey Buchanan, 10, and Walker Buchanan, 9.

Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App