WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the pilot killed in a plane crash north of Round Rock on Wednesday afternoon.
David Bonorden, 58, of Cedar Park, died after the Cessna 320 he was flying crashed in a wooded area about half a mile west of I-35 near FM 1431.
DPS said the plane caught fire when it crashed. Bonorden was the only occupant.
A witness said the plane was falling from the sky and appeared as if it was going to make an emergency landing on FM 1431 before it crashed into trees and burst into flames.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash.
According to the NTSB report, preliminary flight track data showed that the airplane departed from the Rusty Allen Airport in Lago Vista, Texas, and proceeded east by Thorndale, Texas. Once near Thorndale, the airplane executed a turn to the north and the flight track data terminated, the report stated.
The NTSB report, released on July 10, stated that a witness – who was driving on RM 1431 near Round Rock – said she observed the airplane flying low and "erratically." The NTSB report said she observed flames coming from the left engine. Another witness who lives in Round Rock, reported that the airplane was "sputtering" and "popping" as it flew over his home."
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