Crash near Holmes County Airport claims three lives
Sheriff Tim Zimmerly said the crash is believed to have occurred between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday morning. All aboard the plane were killed, Zimmerly said.
The victims were identified as Phillip W. Howard, 48, Waterford Terrace, Easton, Penn., Jonathan K. Hines, 36, W. County Road 925 North, Famersburg, Ind., and Tracy L. Custer, 38, W. Lincoln St., Shelburn, Ind.
The plane went down in a wooded area on private property off Township Road 307. The FAA has reported the craft’s flight path as traveling from Terra Haute, Ind., to Steubenville.
According to Zimmerly, the plane had reached its destination early Monday morning but was re-routed due to weather conditions. According to http://www.flightaware.com, an in-flight tracking website, the plane passed at least two airports in Carrolton and Harrison counties before the crash.
The plane was reported as missing yesterday and a connection was made with the Holmes County airport late Monday night. Zimmerly said a neighbor who resides near the airport saw the plane circling at approximately 4:30 a.m. The neighbor drove to the airport and tried unsuccessfully to contact the plane using the airport’s radio. Radio contact was lost shortly thereafter, Zimmerly said.
“The neighbor saw the plane circling around the airport, came up and called but got no response,” Zimmerly said.
The neighbor learned of the missing plane and thought it may have been the one he observed. The sheriff’s office and Ohio State Highway Patrol, Wooster Post, were notified at 10 p.m.
Zimmerly said the plane, a twin engine 1957 Piper Apache, went down south of the runway and hit a few trees immediately prior to the crash.
The site was located at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 9 in a search using OSHP helicopters. Enderby said an aerial search early Tuesday morning was called off because of weather conditions.
Enderby said the three passengers were ejected from the plane. The fuselage was consumed by a post-crash fire, Enderby said.
“It is a very small (crash) scene,” Enderby said. “The plane is pretty well destroyed. Once we lifted off from here, it was about 10 minutes before we found it.”
The plane appears to have clipped some trees immediately prior to the crash, Zimmerly said. The crash site is about 350 yards from the southeast end of the airport runway.
The passengers were en route to meet family in Steubenville, Zimmerly said. The bodies were examined on site by Holmes County Coroner Dr. Robert J. Anthony and transported to Pomerene Hospital.
The Marion County Sheriff’s office and Civil Air Patrol also assisted in the search.
The Holmes County Prosecutor’s office was also present at the site.
The crash remains under investigation.