Six people were killed when a small plane crashed minutes after taking off from an Ohio airport, officials said.
The Cessna 441 with six people on board crashed near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport on Sunday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Authorities remained on the scene Monday.
There were no survivors, Western Reserve Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Trevena said at a news conference. The victims were taken to the Trumbull County Coroner’s Office, Trevena said, but he did not release their names.
It was difficult to get to the site of the crash, Howland Township Fire Chief Raymond Pace said.
“We’re very fortunate. This is a extremely tragic situation, but it could have been worse,” Pace said, noting that there were three houses near the spot where the plane crashed.
Publicly available flight tracking data showed that the plane’s destination was Bozeman, Montana, said Michael Hillman, president of aviation company JETS FBO Network.
“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,” Hillman said at the news conference. “I’d give anything to rewind the day and take them to breakfast instead.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate and the NSTB will lead the investigation.