Displaying items by tag: Lt Bill Haymaker

It's now official: nine dead from yesterday's jet crash on approach to Akron Fulton Airport.

Lt. Bill Haymaker of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said all of the victims were on the jet's manifest from Ft. Lauderdale to Dayton, then Akron. Officials said not all of the victims may be from Florida and notification of family is underway, with no names released.

The company is Pebb Enterprises, of Boca Raton, Florida. They posted the following on their website: Our hearts are broken this morning with the news of the tragic accident that took the lives of two principals and five employees of Pebb Enterprises. We are shocked and deeply saddened for the families, colleagues and friends of those who perished. Our first priority is to give our fullest support to the family members and loved ones of our co-workers. We ask for the media's understanding and cooperation at this time of unimaginable loss and mourning and are not responding to media requests at this time.

Haymaker confirmed that up to 12 families were impacted when the jet crashed into the four-unit apartment building on Mogadore Road; while no one was inside the building and adjacent apartments and homes were also damages. The American Red Cross provided relief for 11 families in the short-term.

Click here to view the entire press conference on Periscope.

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) now has a full team in Akron.

NTSB vice-chairman Bella Dinn-Zarr - heading up the team here - told an afternoon press conference on Wednesday that the cockpit voice recorder has been recovered.

Dinn-Zarr said that a number of factors will be considered as they look into the crash...including flight controls, engines, weather, air traffic control and operations.

She called weather a "key factor" that will be investigated, along with surveillance video from a nearby business that shows the plane's approach.

Dinn-Zarr says they looked at the ground after seeing a surveillance video showing the aircraft flowing at a low altitude and banking left, finding evidence that the left wing hit the ground first.

There will be no determination issued by the NTSB while it is here the next four to five days.

Meanwhile, more residents in the immediate neighborhood are coming forward with video and testimony as the jet came down. In an interview with WAKR's Amani Abraham, Seth Yergin, 23, of Akron, said he heard the explosion and went outside to see what happened; there was already the apartment building "completely on fire...there was nothing I could do."

"It's kind of surreal," Yergin said. "It's pretty scary. It's strange to think the slightest thing, it could have been us."

NOTE: Video captured by Seth Yergin is at the bottom of this story.