Investigation of fatal plane crash near regional airport begins
FOWLER — All that was left Sunday afternoon at the site of a Friday evening plane crash near the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport was the burned grass from where the plane went down and burst into flames.
Most of the debris, including the plane’s fuselage, had been removed, and someone placed flowers by a pole near the crash site, which is a field just north of King Graves Road. The National Transportation Safety Board was at the site Saturday to investigate the crash that killed the pilot and two passengers — a man, woman and child. The names of the victims had not yet been released by Sunday night by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The NTSB is investigating what caused the twin-engine plane to crash around 7 p.m. Friday. Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which oversees operations at the airport in Vienna, said the plane was not associated with the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, which is adjacent to the airport and uses its runways.
The plane was identified as a Beechcraft BE-60, and was attempting to make an emergency landing before the crash at the end of the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration and OSHP also are investigating the crash.
A preliminary report is expected to be prepared within 30 days. According to Trevena, the crash happened around 7 p.m. after the plane departed from Plattsburg, New York. It appears the plane’s left engine failed and the pilot missed the approach to land, and when he circled back to approach the landing again, he lost control and crashed, Trevena said.
Trevena said firefighters with YARS, Howland, Fowler and Vienna townships, other first responders, and maintenance employees with the airport, responded quickly to the crash. He said the job they did was “incredible.”
Lt. Ray Santiago with the OSHP said in a press release that troopers arrived on scene and discovered a fixed wing multi-engine aircraft had crashed near one of the runways after a suspected mechanical failure.
LOCAL RESIDENTS’ REACTION
Fowler residents Rick and Debbie Sheridan, who live on King Graves Road, were outside Friday evening when they heard a large banging sound.
“I heard a big boom sound. I thought someone was setting off firecrackers. We hear them all the time. The next day we found out what happened. I drove by yesterday and you could see a big bare spot,” Rick Sheridan said.
“We hear people setting off fireworks all the time, so we just thought someone had set off a lot of fireworks. We were outside when we heard the big bang noise,” Debbie Sheridan said.
Dolores Barrick, who lives across from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, said she is always hearing loud noises — whether it has been fireworks for the past few weeks or guns being shot at the Vienna Fish and Game Club.
“I was home and I thought it was fireworks again. I didn’t think it was anything else, so I didn’t even look outside,” she said, noting she later saw a post about the crash on social media.
Jeff Dreves of Vienna said he was at church Friday evening when someone told them there was a big fire north of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.
“We heard later that it was a plane that crashed,” he said.
Mark Haddle, a Vienna firefighter, said when crews arrived at the scene, the plane was fully engulfed in flames and the YARS fire crews, who were the first at the scene, already had much of the fire under control. He said crews from Fowler, Howland and Vienna assisted the air base crews.
Hadde said it was unfortunate what happened, but the area of the crash had no nearby homes, so no one on the ground was hurt.
Vienna trustee Phil Pegg said he learned of the crash around 7:15 p.m. Friday.
“My phone was getting many calls from people about the crash and wanting to make me aware of what had happened,” Pegg said.
He said while it is sad to hear of the death of the three people on the plane, he is thankful no one was killed on the ground since the crash was near the road where a vehicle could have been traveling.
Fellow trustee Rich Dascenzo said he is used to hearing planes all the time. He said he went this weekend to the crash site.
“You can see on the left side of King Graves Road where the plane crashed. It is a large black spot in the grass,” Dascenzo said.
Have an interesting story? Email Bob Coupland at bcoupland@tribtoday.com.