NTSB releases cause of plane crash that killed Dearborn pilot and community leader
Inset: Kevin Kreger, photo courtesy Ryan Koenig
FOX 2 - The National Travel and Safety Board has released the findings of a plane crash that killed a flight instructor and injured his student near Ann Arbor.
The backstory:
Kevin Kreger was killed when his single-engine plane crashed in Clinton near Lima Center Road and Michigan Avenue on June 10, 2024.
Kreger, 46, and his student did not run out of fuel in their Piper PA-28-140 that departed Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, that day – but the setting of a fuel selector handle did cut off power to the engine, the report found.
"The fuel selector handle and valve were found between the Left Tank and Off positions, which would have prevented fuel flow," the NTSB findings revealed. "The entire fuel system forward of the fuel selector contained either no or trace amounts of fuel."
The report said that Kreger, who was conducting an instructional flight, may have discovered a reduction in engine power.
He contacted air traffic control to return to the airport, but did not report any difficulties.
Airplane Fuel Selector Handle
From the NTSB report - an artist rendering of how the fuel selector handle was found between settings.
Dig deeper:
Flight history of the plane showed it had been fueled to 36 gallons, or 18 gallons per fuel tank, two days before the final flight.
In between that span, it was estimated to still have 27 gallons of fuel remaining, according to the report which can be read HERE.
"After the selected fuel tank was depleted, the fuel selector was inadvertently moved past the Left Tank detent toward the Off position during an attempt to restore engine power, which prevented fuel in the left tank from reaching the engine," the report said.
NTSB report diagram showing the plane's flight path.
It is unclear if Kreger or the student pilot was the one that moved the selector. Inside the cockpit, the fuel selector was located next to the passenger's left leg.
The student pilot told investigators he did not recall the flight or accident sequence, the report said, making it unclear if he was the last to touch the selector.
The Crash Cause
View from SkyFOX of the plane after crashing.
What Report Said:
In the report, the flight instructor failed to maintain airplane control while attempting a forced landing.
The report also cited the pilot's lack of fuel monitoring as being a contributing factor.
"Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's or flight instructor's inadvertent positioning of the fuel selector valve between the Left Tank and Off positions, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power," the report said.
Family Man and Community Leader
Kevin Kreger
Local perspective:
Kreger is remembered as a loving father of two girls, husband, and chiropractor in Dearborn who volunteered in the community and also did youth coaching.
"He was humble, he was confident, he was passionate, he cared," said friend of the family Alex Grignon to FOX 2 in 2024.
Grignon said he was passionate, caring — and a role model for his community.
The Hillsdale graduate played both football and basketball in college and graduated Dearborn High School as something of a prep sports folk hero for the city.
His senior year in 1995, the Pioneers which he quarterbacked, went undefeated and unscored upon. It was the first time in 22 years that a Michigan high school team finished a regular-season with zero points allowed.
"And it just kind of foreshadowed his life," Grignon said. "Everything he did he was good at, because he did it with the right attitude, the right intent, and he did it the right way."
The Source: Information for this report is from the NTSB and previous coverage.