Six dead in plane crash in Ohio
HOWLAND, Ohio (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - There were no survivors in a plane crash behind a house in Howland Sunday morning, according to authorities in Ohio.
It happened around 7:00 a.m. Eastern between Spring Run Road and King Graves Road NE, just two miles away from the end of the runway at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna. The plane was carrying two crew members and four experienced passengers.
The identities of the crash victims have not yet been released.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the plane was a Cessna 441, a small twin-engine plane.
Officials from the Western Reserve Port Authority, Howland Fire Department, and Howland Police Department held a press conference at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, and said flight tracker data shows the plane was headed to Bozeman, Montana, and crashed seven minutes after takeoff.
"Our crews, along with Youngstown Air Reserve Station, were met with difficult access to the plane. It landed in a heavily wooded area," said Howland Fire Chief Ray Pace.
Pace said a 911 caller reported hearing a large explosion behind her home and seeing flames.
"The Youngstown Air Reserve Station did assist us in extinguishing the plane that was on fire back in the woods. We have had multiple other agencies assist us, such as Trumbull County EMA, along with the drone team," Pace said.
Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the coroner’s office also responded. Trumbull County HAZMAT was also on scene to handle the fuel from the plane.
“It has been seamless cooperation amongst all the individual entities to handle their portion,” Pace said.
At this point, it's unclear what caused the crash. The NTSB is taking the lead on the investigation and is set to arrive at the crash site Sunday evening. Investigators have also been in touch with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
King Graves Road NE has since reopened, but officials are asking people to avoid the area.
A CBS affiliate in Youngstown has obtained the 911 calls from the crash. Many people living in the area reported seeing a lot of smoke and hearing a plane making an odd noise right before it crashed.
