21 July 2023
O’NIELL, Neb. (KSNW) — A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Bureau points to a likely cause of the plane crash that killed a Wichita Republican and pro-life activist.
Mark Gietzen died in May following a plane crash near O’Niell, Nebraska. He was piloting his Cessna 172D at the time of the crash.
The report from the NTSB says Gietzen left the airport in Newton en route to Glen Ullin, North Dakota. It says there was no report of Gietzen filing a flight plan or obtaining a weather report before takeoff, nor of there being any radio communication during his flight.
Witnesses about a mile and a half south of the crash site reported to investigators that shortly before 9:30 p.m. on May 14, they heard a low-flying plane flying over their home. Another witness reported seeing a plane fly low with its landing light on. All witnesses reported that the night was cloudy and misty.
The report says Gietzen’s Cessna was not equipped with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast System, which is not required but is becoming standard for most aircraft. No radar data was found for the flight, and Gietzen made no distress calls.
The plane crash was not discovered until May 16, when a rancher found the crash site on his property. The plane crashed in a cow pasture about 14 miles south of O’Niell-John L. Baker Airport in O’Niell, Nebraska.
The report states that the main wreckage of the plane came to rest 152 feet from the initial impact. Gietzen died at the scene.
The NTSB report says there appeared to be no issues with the plane’s structure or engine components.
Using weather data from the night of the crash, the NTSB says Gietzen’s plane was “operating within the range conducive to serious carburetor icing at any power.”
The FAA says carburetor icing is a deceptive hazard because it can happen even when outside air temperatures are well above freezing.
Read the full report below: