Feds: Pilot turned around shortly before Pa. resort crash

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FARMINGTON, Pa. (AP) -- The National Transportation Safety Board says a small plane turned around shortly after takeoff and appeared to be preparing to land before it crashed near a posh Pennsylvania resort, killing all three people on board.

The preliminary report issued Tuesday says investigators have found no mechanical or structural problems so far with the single-engine Beech 36-A.

The pilot, 68-year-old Terry Carlson and 26-year-old Jason Willems died in the Dec. 11 crash near Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. The pilot's son, 27-year-old Erick Carlson, died a day later.

The men from Rockville, Maryland had just taken off from Nemacolin's air strip when witnesses say they saw the pilot put down the landing gear and turn around, suggesting some type of emergency or malfunction prompted Terry Carlson to try to land.

The full investigation could take a year.