Knipping-Diaz piloted plane had engine trouble

The Aug. 17 airplane crash that killed Woodmere resident Francisco Knipping-Diaz and Union Vale resident Gerard Bocker, might be attributed to engine trouble to the twin-engine Cessna T303, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Diaz, 61, a lawyer and Bocker, also 61, was in his upstate home at the time of the crash. The NTSB noted that video from Sky Acres Airport in upstate Lagrangeville showed that the Diaz made several attempts to start the left engine for roughly a 30-second span. Then Diaz tried to start the right engine several times also over 30 seconds, on the engine started on the last try. Then the left engine started after nearly 10 seconds.

Shortly after liftoff and at an altitude of less than 50 to 100 feet both engines lost partial power. As the airplane proceeded down the runway, it began to drift toward the left until it was over the grass next to the runway. Diaz corrected the drift, but still could not gain altitude. The plane had “very little forward motion” after the initial impact, it was stated in the report. The co-pilot estimated that the airplane remained below 100 feet for the entire flight.

Passengers Eduardo Tio, 50, also of Woodmere, and Teofilio Antonio Diaz Pratt, 52, of the Dominican Republic were injured in the crash. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening. Bocker’s daughters, also at home when the crash occurred. Hannah, 21, was critically injured and Sarah, 30, also sustained not life-threatening injuries. The plane was headed back to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale. The investigation is continuing.