BOONEVILLE, Mo. -The National Transportation Safety Board has released an initial report on their investigation of the November 30 plane crash near Boonville, Mo., that killed a Salina man and injured three others.

The post-accident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal engine operation.

It did say the pilot Charles K. Sojka, Salina, Kan., re-routed the flight from the original plan due to the difficulty of navigating through low clouds near Sedalia.

According to the report, a surviving passenger revealed that the pilot extended the landing gear without any difficulties. However, when the pilot reduced engine power, in attempt to reduce airspeed, the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot was able to briefly restore engine power by advancing the throttle, but the engine quickly lost total power. The passenger reported that the pilot then began making rapid changes to the engine throttle and mixture control without any noticeable effect to engine operation. The passenger stated that the airplane eventually “stalled completely,” about 250 feet above the ground, as the pilot prepared for a forced landing; however, the passenger did not recall the airplane impacting terrain.

The pilot Charles Sojika died in the crash. His wife, Brenda Schewe, 56, Salina, and her children, Kathryn Taylor, 25, Wichita, and Jacob Taylor, 23, Kansas City, Mo., survived.

See the full NTSB report here