A partial loss of power in the engine caused the small plane crash Oct. 16, 2014, that killed two people, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Monday.

Kelly Chandler, 50, was the passenger in a 1976 Rockwell Commander 112 that crashed outside of Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport. A nearby mechanic pulled Chandler from the crash site, but he later died from injuries suffered in the crash.

The pilot, Lawrence Youhanaian, 74, of Gainesville, died at the scene.

Chandler was previously a flight instructor at Lanier Flight Center, where his ubiquitous presence left indelible impressions for Gainesville residents learning to fly.

The late flight instructor was called “the driving force” of the flight center. He was eager to teach students and loved by all, Jackie Chandler, his widow, said last year when the Kelly Chandler Wings Scholarships fund was unveiled to help people learn how to fly.

Local resident Wayne Stradley, a former airline pilot for Eastern, ValuJet and AirTran, said Chandler was known as a “thorough instructor and pilot.”

Stradley said planes typically run their engines strong before takeoff, and that no indication was given in the run up to Chandler’s flight that anything was wrong.

“It was just kind of unknown in the beginning … because it’s just hard to believe he would miss something,” Stradley said. “I don’t think anybody would have caught it. (The cause) is really rare.”  

According to the NTSB’s probable cause report, a witness described a “surging” sound coming from the plane’s engine while at an altitude of about 400 feet.

A radio call was placed from the plane as it was heading back to the airport indicating there was an emergency, according to the report.

“The airplane then collided with a telephone pole and unmarked transmission lines, which ruptured the fuel tank, and then struck the ground,” the report states. “A post-crash fire ensued that nearly consumed the cockpit, cabin and both wings.”

Analysis revealed that blockages in the inlet and outlet ports of the manifold valve caused the loss of engine power, according to the NTSB.

“The blockages likely would not have created a condition that would have been detectable to the pilots during the pre-takeoff engine run-up,” the report states.

And no evidence was found that the flight controls had malfunctioned.

Also, blockages of fuel vent lines likely did not affect the engine operation and would not have been visible in a pre-flight inspection.