Report: Electrical failure likely caused McKinney plane crash

Video shows moments after McKinney plane crash

Cellphone video shows the fiery moments after a twin-engine Cessna crashed in McKinney Thursday afternoon. Two people died in the crash but workers were able to rescue a third person. That person was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

McKINNEY, Texas - An electrical system failure appears to be the cause of a deadly plane crash last month in McKinney.

A preliminary report from federal investigators says the pilot of the single-engine aircraft noticed an engine problem shortly after taking off for a flight to test avionics equipment.

The control tower cleared the plane for landing, but the pilot never responded.

The plane went down in a gravel mound at a construction site, killing the pilot, 67-year-old Michael Lewis of Forney, and one passenger, 53-year-old Gustavo Moreno of Royse City.

A second passenger, 35-year-old Randy Williams, was critically injured, according to family members.

The report says Moreno and Williams were employees of the avionics facility that had installed the equipment being checked.

"The airplane’s takeoff was heard by a witness located in an office near taxiway B4. He said the engine sound from the airplane went from a loud sound to a bogged sound quickly, and it sounded like an engine failure," the report says. "He said that it seemed as if the airplane lost left engine power before it flew past taxiway B4."

The City of Forney confirmed that Lewis, the plane's owner, was the husband of former Forney mayor Amanda Lewis.

He was also an Angel Flight pilot who completed over 140 missions and served as the chaplain at Genesis Center North Texas.

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash.