WINSLOW, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report regarding a plane crash in Northwest Arkansas last month that killed a former Mississippi state senator.

Johnny Morgan, 76, was the pilot of the plane and the only person onboard. He was a state senator in Mississippi from 1984 to 1992.

Morgan reportedly contacted Drake Field Airport in Fayetteville concerning issues he was having with his autopilot system, and that he was headed to the airport for maintenance.

The report says that Morgan’s descent was nearly vertical.

“Based on the damage to the surrounding trees, the impact signatures and the airplane damage, the descent was near vertical. Both engines and propellers were embedded in the terrain, and the entire airplane was fragmented,” the report said.