A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from an Ohio airport, killing all six people on board.
The twin-engine Cessna 441 crashed in a wooded area of Howland Township near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport just before 7am on Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
It was carrying two pilots and a family of four, who owned steel manufacturing plants in the area and were going to vacation in Montana.
The victims have been identified as pilot Joseph Maxin, 63; co-pilot Timothy Blake, 55; and passengers James Weller, 67; his wife Veronica Weller, 68; their son, John Weller, 36; and his wife, Maria Weller, 34.
‘I can’t think of better people, and so our community is at a great loss, and there were really wonderful people,’ said Anthony Travena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, during a press conference.
‘It’s a very tight-knit community. So, all those in the aviation community have reached out, and these are really important people to us.’
The pilots were highly regarded in the small community about 75 miles southeast of Cleveland.
‘These were the best of the best in terms of the folks here at the field, as well as the pilots. I can’t say enough about them,’ said Michael Hillman, who is president of the JETS FBO Network aviation company.
‘I’d give anything to rewind the day and take them to breakfast instead.’
The plane, which was bound for Bozeman, crashed near three houses.
‘This is an extremely tragic situation, but it could have been worse,’ said Howland Township Fire Chief Raymond Pace.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash.
It happened 10 days after a Mooney M20 with two men aboard crashed near a regional airport close to Boston, killing one of them.
On Sunday, a catering minivan also crashed into a parked American Eagle jet at Boston Logan International Airport and was damaged and pinned under the aircraft.
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