Pilot at Cameron Airshow was near the end of his routine when he crashed

The Smithville pilot who was killed last month at the Cameron Airshow was attempting the ninth of 10 planned maneuvers when the plane crashed, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The report does not state what caused the biplane to crash, killing 50-year-old Steven Carl O’Berg. Another pilot familiar with O’Berg’s routine said he planned to do a “45-degree knife-edge climb” and then an end-over-end flip and spin.

“The airplane appeared to enter a left spin and completed about two and a half revolutions before it impacted the terrain,” the NTSB report said. Observers said they heard the engine die. It will be shipped to the manufacturer for examination.

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Pilot at Cameron Airshow was near the end of his routine when he crashed."