Crash that Killed Kirkland Amazon.com Exec Caused by Bad Weather

Bad weather was a factor in the December 2011 crash in Michigan that killed Thomas Phillips of Kirkland, according to a report released last week by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Associated Press reported.

The AP said the NTSB's report said that the flying conditions were poor and visibility low on Dec. 3, 2011, when the plane left St. Ignace, Michigan for a 4.5-mile flight to Mackinac Island, Michigan, where Phillips had a home. The Piper Saratoga crashed in Lake Huron, according to the AP.

The pilot, 29-year-old Joseph Pann Jr. of St. Ignace, also died in the crash.

Phillips, 52, was Amazon.com's web services director, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. He was experienced in the technology industry, held several patents and previously worked at Microsoft and iTegris, according to a 2011 Puget Sound Business Journal article.

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Associated Press via KIRO:  Bad weather cited in crash that killed Amazon exec