As Court Koenning is still recovering at Hermann Hospital from his injuries the NTSB wrapped up it’s site investigation Wednesday.
Crews from Dallas moved in late Wednesday morning cutting trees in Kathy Branstetter’s back yard where the plane came to rest within thirty feet of her son’s bedroom. Tree’s needed to be cleared to free the aircraft and cutting parts of the aircraft away to get it out. The aircraft slowly came to pieces until it finally split in two. The wing spars were cut away as were several other components. It was then loaded on a trailer for the trip to Dallas for further examination.
Koenning was the former chief of staff for state senator Dan Patrick and was a political analyst for KTRK-TV in Houston.
The Cirrus SR-20 was made in 2003 and was equipped with a parachute that could be deployed by the pilot in an emergency. The parachute has been attributed to saving 250 lives since it was introduced.
The plane crashed just before 10pm Monday as Koenning attempted a landing and missed it. Going around for another try he struck a large pine tree within a quarter mile of Williams Field. Witnesses say the engine died but that needs to be determined by the NTSB which could take six months or more.
