NTSB finds engine issues with plane that crashed into Massachusetts house, killing 3 people

Federal investigators say the engine of a small plane that crashed into a Massachusetts home last month had a breach in the crankcase, two puncture holes near a cylinder and a fractured oil sump.

The preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board also said a cable and a turnbuckle exhibited overload fractures. The report did not indicate whether the problems occurred pre- or post-crash and did not draw any conclusions on whether they contributed to the deadly accident in Plainville on June 28.

All three people aboard the plane — Dr. Joseph Richard Kalister of Knoxville, Tennessee; his wife, Betty; and their teenage daughter, Nicole — died.

A family of four escaped unharmed from the home.

The pilot reported losing engine power minutes before the crash.