The NTSB is investigating what caused a small plane to crash into a home in northeast Ohio and burst into flames, killing both pilots aboard. The agency said it is leading the review in Akron with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, as investigators work to piece together what occurred during the aircraft’s approach and descent.
The plane was a white and blue Piper PA-28-180, commonly known as a Cherokee, that took off from Akron Fulton Airport for a training flight around 2 p.m. Thursday, according to NTSB aviation accident investigator Aaron McCarter. He said the two people on board — a certified flight instructor and the aircraft’s pilot-owner — completed training maneuvers in the area before what appeared to be two different attempts to land at the airport.
McCarter said that on the second approach, “something upset the aircraft” and it spiraled out of the sky from about 1,000 feet (305 meters). He said the plane then struck a road before crashing into the house and catching fire.
Witnesses first reported the crash, which produced dark black smoke visible into the air, according to Akron police 911 calls. McCarter said the investigation will rely on witness testimony and doorbell camera footage showing the descent and the crash, alongside other factors investigators plan to consider, including Thursday’s high winds.
The crash killed the two pilots, and McCarter said authorities had not yet identified the bodies or notified families as of Friday, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner’s office. He said authorities moved to address the scene, including removing the aircraft from the house site for evaluation, and said the family home was still not habitable.
Akron Fire Department officials said a second house also had to be evacuated because of the fire. McCarter said three people were in the home at the time of impact — a father and two children — and that all of them escaped unharmed.
Outside observers also responded as the crash unfolded. The nearby American Winds College of Aeronautics alerted staff, students and families on Facebook late Wednesday that all of its airplanes were safe, and Denise Hobart, of the North East Ohio Pilots Association, said on behalf of the school that “they were praying for the pilot, anyone on board and their families.” McCarter said it was “incredible” that the family made it out and described their survival as a blessing given the “catastrophic nature of the accident.”