Stephen Lee Spence Death; – The pilot who tragically lost his life in a plane crash at Eagle Mountain Lake earlier this month has been officially identified. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed the pilot’s identity as 60-year-old Stephen Lee Spence.
As per records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Spence was the registered owner of the single-engine Champion 7EC aircraft that went down in the lake on the afternoon of October 7. The medical examiner’s office determined that the causes of death were blunt force injuries and drowning.
Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report on the crash, indicating that a search did not uncover any Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data linked to the flight.
ADS-B is a system that transmits information regarding an aircraft’s location, altitude, ground speed, and other relevant data to ground stations and other aircraft. The transmission of ADS-B Out data is mandatory in most airspace, including the Class B airspace surrounding North Texas.
According to the NTSB report, Spence’s single-engine Champion 7EC aircraft appeared to be structurally sound prior to its descent into the water under clear skies at approximately 12:40 p.m. Surveillance footage from a residence near the lake captured the aircraft gradually descending at an angle of about 45 degrees before impacting the water.
The pilot’s family informed the NTSB that he was departing from Flying Oaks Airport, a private grass strip located in Fort Worth, roughly three miles southwest of the lake. They indicated that he had left to have lunch at an undisclosed location and was anticipated to return to Flying Oaks.
FAA records indicate that Spence had owned the aircraft since 2004 and had last received a medical certificate in 2008. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
