BEAUFORT, N.C.—The pilot of a small plane that crashed off North Carolina’s coast in 2022, killing the pilot, four teens and three other adults, was likely distracted while trying to program the aircraft’s flight management system after takeoff, according to a final report from federal investigators.
The pilot likely failed to monitor the aircraft’s speed as the plane slowed down and stalled, the report said. The pilot also likely experienced “spatial disorientation” after the stall because of poor weather conditions that limited his visibility. He failed to regain control of the airplane.
