NTSB releases new details on fatal small plane crash in Siler City

SILER CITY, N.C. -- The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report about the small plane crash that killed two people in Siler City.

Authorities later identified the two people onboard at the time of the crash as flight instructor McMillan Abernethy and student Justin Strauss.

The report says the plane did a 'touch and go' landing -- according to another flight instructor in the air at the same time -- who was watching as it happened.

That flight instructor also said that the student pilot on the plane that went down said they were having an issue and requested to land.

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Another witness who was on the ground baling hay in the area surrounding the runway nearby told the NTSB that the plane looked like it was flying sideways just after takeoff. He also said the plane "almost rolled over on its side and went into a nosedive" before crashing.

Abernethy's father told the NTSB that his son had between 850 to 900 hours of flight experience before the crash. According to the operator, Strauss had 25 total hours of flight experience.

An earlier report from the FAA stated that the plane was having engine problems before it went down.