The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation Friday into the fatal crash of a small plane that plowed into a house in Akron, Ohio, the day before, killing both people aboard. The Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee, a white-and-blue single-engine aircraft, had taken off from Akron Fulton Airport around 2 p.m. Thursday for what was described as a routine training flight, according to NTSB aviation accident investigator Aaron McCarter. On board were a certified flight instructor and the aircraft’s pilot-owner, both of whom died at the scene.
McCarter said the plane conducted standard training maneuvers in the area before making what appeared to be two attempts to land. On the second approach, at about 1,000 feet, “something upset the aircraft,” causing it to spiral out of control, strike a road, and crash into the house, where it exploded into flames. Dark black smoke was seen towering above the crash site, and 911 calls from witnesses at the nearby Firestone Country Club first alerted authorities.
Three people — a father and his two children — were inside the home at the time of impact. All three escaped without injury. “It is incredible,” McCarter said. “And they are blessed to have made it out of that house, considering the catastrophic nature of the accident.”
The family’s home was rendered uninhabitable, and a second nearby house had to be evacuated because of the fire, the Akron Fire Department said. The aircraft was removed from the site Friday and taken back to the airport for further evaluation.
Investigators plan to use doorbell camera footage and witness testimony to reconstruct the plane’s final moments. Thursday’s high winds will also be examined as a potential factor, McCarter said, adding that Piper Aircraft is assisting with the review.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s office said Friday that authorities had not yet identified the bodies or notified next of kin. The nearby American Winds College of Aeronautics issued a statement on Facebook saying all of its airplanes were safe. Denise Hobart, of the North East Ohio Pilots Association, said on behalf of the school that the pilot community was “praying for the pilot, anyone on board and their families.”