A preliminary federal report lists heavy fog conditions near a small plane crash Nov. 5 that killed three near the Habersham County Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released the report, including information from local residents of a “whirring” sound before a loud crash.

“They came outside to see if they could locate where the noise came from, but was unsuccessful due to the heavy fog and mist in the area,” according to the report.

Originating from Fort Pierce, Fla., the Piper Cherokee aircraft landed in a ravine in the middle of a mobile home park off West Airport Road in Cornelia. According to the report, the plane was headed toward the Habersham County Airport and crashed roughly a quarter of a mile away.

Eric Alleyne, an air safety investigator with the NTSB, told The Times the day of the crash that “from what I understand from the witnesses, it was very foggy at the time.”

Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire identified those on the plane as pilot James Thomas Lycett of Port St. Lucie, Florida; Steven Matthew Wisor of Fort Pierce; and Edward Leslie Black of Port St. Lucie.

The airplane was reportedly in a nose-down position and “buried about four feet below the surface of the ground.”

“The cockpit, cabin section and empennage were crushed,” according to the report.