FARGO (KFGO-AM) - Federal investigators have released a preliminary report in the investigation of an airplane crash that killed popular Fargo Air Sho pilot Jim Maroney. Maroney died March 23rd when his Dehavilland Chipmunk crashed in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.
The National Transportation Safety Board says the aircraft was nearly level and the engine controls were in the "full forward" position. There was no evidence of a fire. The wreckage was found on the side of a mountainous slope.
The NTSB says there were scattered clouds when the crash happened at around 1:38 in the afternoon. Maroney was wearing a parachute. The parachute was not deployed.
The report does not speculate on the cause of the crash. The investigation remains open.