Agencies release reports on pilot’s fatal crash

Government agencies have released their findings in the death of a pilot killed when his small plane crashed last month in rural North Carolina.  Law enforcement believes the victim, John Miller Bofinger, a northern New Jersey resident, originated his flight from the Oconee Regional Airport May 21, but later crashed the Beechcraft 35 into a cornfield and trees after having taken off from Nocarva Airport in Macon, North Carolina.  He was 66 years old.  As part of an investigation, the NTSB has issued a preliminary report.  Other reports were released today by North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office.  According to the medical examiner office findings, “He (Bowfinger) has just cleared a row of 200-foot power lines and had flown approximately 200 feet when the plane lost altitude.  It sheared off the tops of trees right before it hit the ground.  The plane then exploded and caught on fire.  Witnesses in the area stated they heard the engine ‘sputter’ and then heard a ‘loud pop’ right before the crash….There were no suspicions for foul play, substance abuse, or suicide at the time of this report, but the FAA was still investigating the crash.”  Fire burned the pilot’s body, but the medical examiner’s report lists cause of death as blunt force injuries.