Federal investigators say the pilot in a fatal plane crash in Chesterfield County last month had trouble controlling the single-engine aircraft before it struck a house.

Killed in the April 27 crash were Joseph Anthony Grana, Jr. of Florham Park, New Jersey, and his father, 73-year-old Joseph Anthony Grana Sr. of Richmond.

A woman in the house, 22-year-old Melissa Bowen, suffered serious burns.

According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, a witness saw a large piece of the 2000 single-engine Mooney aircraft fall off before the crash. Authorities believe it was part of the plane's fuselage.

Authorities say radar records show Grana made several turns and frequent altitude adjustments before the wreck.