I provide an early analysis of the NTSB Preliminary Report on the crash of a Cessna Cardinal (177RG) that killed the beloved Richard McSpadden and former NFL star Russ Francis.

From the information in this early report, we see where the NTSB has initially investigated. We already knew that there was an element of engine power loss but that begs the question, why did the engine lose its power in the first place? We dig into that topic in detail and explore any possible lessons that could be learned here, even before we have the full results of the investigation which could take years to complete.

Based on the early information in the NTSB report, we can discuss the what-if's about engine failures and how we can detect early warning signs of possible engine failures. That's not to say with any certainty that any warning signs were apparent here to these pilots in this particular accident, because we still conclusively don't know what happened to the engine. But there are real dangers and real scenarios worth discussing to improve the safety of our future flights whose lessons we can take to heart now, immediately, as we comb through any of the possibilities that led to this tragic outcome.