Seatbelt Was Available, Usable

The National Transportation Safety Board released its probable cause report this week in the August 2004 crash of a Cessna 206 that went down while filming an independent film, "Cross Bones."

According to the report, the lone fatality, cinematographer Neal Fredericks, 35, drowned in 36 feet of water after impact because other passengers could not free him -- as he had tied himself to the seat with ropes, despite the seat having a fully functional seatbelt.

"The pilot and passengers were all able to exit the airplane except the cameraman, who tied himself to the seat with a rope prior to takeoff after the cargo door had been removed to facilitate filming," said the report. "Attempts to free the cameraman prior to the airplane sinking were unsuccessful, and he drowned."

As ANN reported, the Cessna 206 from which he was shooting suffered apparent engine trouble at an altitude of about 500 feet. The aircraft quickly sank after ditching, according to "Cross Bones" writer-director Daniel Zirilli, who was also on board. He, along with a co-producer, camera assistant and the pilot were able to escape the sinking wreckage. Zirilli said Frederick was unable to free himself before the airplane sank.

The crew was filming a fort on an island. As the aircraft approached the area to be filmed, "the engine sputtered, and then regained full power. A minute or two later, the pilot indicated the engine lost all power, and after unsuccessfully trying to restart it, he ditched the airplane," according to the report.

The pilot and assistant cameraman attempted to free Fredericks as the plane was sinking about 70 miles west of Key West. The assistant cameraman told investigators Fredericks, whose credits include "The Blair Witch Project," said to him, "The rope," before the plane submerged, according to the Associated Press. He had reportedly tied the rope across his legs, around his waist and seat, and around his camera.

The NTSB report listed as the cause of the accident, "A loss of engine power for an undetermined reason during cruise flight, which resulted in the pilot ditching the airplane in ocean waters."

FMI: Read The Full Probable Cause Report