Pilot of small plane reported a rudder problem before crash that killed 3

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BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — One of the pilots of a small plane that crashed last month in South Florida, killing all three people on board, reported only being able to make left turns with the rudder before the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, according to federal investigators.

The Cessna 310 veered to the left after taking off from Boca Raton Airport and then made up to nine full-circle turns to the left before crashing into trees in the middle of a road. The Tallahassee-bound plane burst into flames and then skidded 370 feet (115 meters) until it rested on railroad tracks, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday from the National Transportation Safety Board.

It was the first flight after the airplane’s annual inspection had been completed.

News outlets reported that 17-year-old Delray Beach high school student Brooke Stark; her 54-year-old father, Stephen Stark; and her 81-year-old grandfather, Robert Stark, were killed in the April 11 crash. Both Stephen and Robert Stark were certified pilots, authorities said.

A person in a car on the ground suffered a minor injury.