Displaying items by tag: Plane Crash

A federal investigation into the fatal executive charter flight crash back in November of 2015 reveals that in addition to the flight crew, Florida-based ExecuFlight and even the FAA are at fault for what lead up to the crash that left 9 people on board dead. 

Back on November 10, 2015, the Hawker 125-700 twin engine jet that was on its way to Akron Fulton International Airport crashed into Akron's Ellet neighborhood, slamming into an apartment complex. Nine people, including the two pilots were killed on impact. 

During a conference Tuesday morning, the National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart said that charter company ExecuFlight, the flight crew, and the FAA all share blame in the deadly crash. "This disregard for safety was not confined to the actions of the flight crew; it extended to their employer, ExecuFlight. Our investigators found organizational factors in hiring, training, and scheduling, and other factors that predated the flight," Hart said in his opening statements of Tuesday's briefing.

The NTSB concluded that the probably cause of the jet crash was the flight crew's mismanagement of the approach and multiple deviations from the company's and the FAA's standard operating procedures, thus putting the plane and those aboard in an unsafe situation. 

Hart said that also contributing to the crash was "the casual attitude toward compliance and standards" set by the FAA. He did, however, not deter fault from the FAA itself, saying, "At the federal level, FAA oversight of ExecuFlight was insufficient to catch and correct the company's noncompliance of the regulations of its own standard operating procedures." 

While the investigation continues into the deadly Akron plane crash that took the lives of all nine people on board, the American Red Cross is actively offering their support to the 11 families who were affected by the damage left behind.

"We provided initial assistance to those families. Right now, we're waiting to see what kind of services they need, if any, as follow-up," said Spokesman Jim McIntyre with the American Red Cross Northeast Ohio Region.

The local chapter of the Red Cross will also be assisting the families with a recovery plan.

"We'll refer them to whatever appropriate agencies they need. We are also going to assist them with a recovery plan if they need that and we also have mental health services available if those are needed."

At the crash site on Mogadore Road, the Red Cross is also on scene to provide food, water and coffee to first responders and investigators.

Investigators descended on Ellet Tuesday in the wake of the plane crash that killed nine people aboard a Hawker H25 jet headed for Akron Fulton Airport.

Former FAA investigator Jeff Rich says the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting what is called the "field phase" of the investigation, which could take as long as a week. This first stage begins by making sure that all of the debris is at the crash site. Next, investigators will try to determine the physical characteristics of the plane, including the positions of the landing gear and ailerons.

Within 30 days, the NTSB must issue a preliminary report that includes some basic details about the plane and the crash.

Investigators can move the wreckage to another location once the Medical Examiner's Office has completed its work. Rich says that location could be as close as a hangar at Fulton Airport. 

Rich described the Hawker H25 as an older type of aircraft, but a sturdy one with no known major safety issues.

Jeff Rich analyzes the Ellet plane crash and talks about the next steps in the investigation

Officials with the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed Tuesday night that there were no survivors after a small plane crashed into an apartment building near Mogadore and Skelton roads.

While the identities and number of victims haven't been released, the plane's owner confirmed that there were nine people onboard the 10-passenger plane -- two pilots and seven passengers -- when it took off from Florida. Officials said the plane was reportedly flying from Dayton area to the Akron Fulton Airport. But it is not clear yet if those passengers were on the plane with the pilot and co-pilot when it crashed in Akron.

A flight school at Fulton Airport posted on Facebook that the plane was on approach to the airport, and was a Hawker 800 model.

Officials say no one was in the apartment at the time of the crash.

The investigation continues today with a news conference scheduled at noon.

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UPDATE 6:26 PM 11/10/15: Officials with the Ohio State Highway Patrol have confirmed that there were no survivors in the plane crash. There were nine people onboard the small plane.

UPDATE 5:50 PM 11/10/15: The owner of a private jet that crashed into a small apartment building on Mogadore and Skelton Roads this/Tuesday afternoon is now saying that there were 9 people on the jet - two pilots and seven passengers - and none of those aboard are believed to have survived the fiery crash.

The Beacon Journal reports that the plane's owner, Augusto Lewkowicz, isn't releasing the victim's names pending family notification.

NewsChannel 5 also cites Akron police sources as confirming nine people were on board the plane. It is not yet officially known if all those aboard were on the plane when it crashed in Akron.

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(Previous coverage) A small plane has crashed into an apartment building on Mogadore Road, and there are apparently some deaths.

NewsChannel 5 reports, quoting police sources, that two people have died in the crash into the apartment building on Mogadore Road and Skelton, not far from Akron-Fulton Airport in the Ellet area of Akron.

The TV station reports that everyone in the apartment building has been accounted for, and there are no injuries in the building. And the fire is now reportedly out.

A flight school at Fulton has posted on Facebook that the plane was on approach to the airport, and was a Hawker 800 model.

Power is out for many in the area.

FirstEnergy reports that about 66-hundred customers are out in Summit County, almost all of them in Akron itself. Witnesses say the plane clipped power lines on the way to crashing.