Pictured above, wreckage hangs from power lines Sunday after a plane crashed on U.S. 42, killing at least one person. The crash caused the road to be closed until earlier this morning.
(Photo provided)
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A weekend plane crash in southern Union County has left one person dead. Matthew A. Hayden, 44, of Phoenix, died after the 1974 Cessna 421B aircraft he was flying crashed on U.S. 42 Sunday afternoon.
The Multi-County Crash Investigation Team, the Federal Aviation Commission and the National Transportation Safety Board are handling the investigation.
According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, authorities began getting 911 calls at about 5:45 p.m.
“There was a witness who heard the crash,” said Tom Morgan, Chief Deputy of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, at a press conference yesterday.
The Cessna 421B is a fixed wing, multi engine aircraft with eight seats.
Deputies and units from the Jerome Township Fire Department arrived at the scene and found the crash site stretching about 400 to 500 yards.
The release said a preliminary investigation revealed the plane crashed in a farm field on the west side of U.S. 42 between Harriott and Bell roads. It continued across U.S. 42 striking several utility poles. It then came to a rest in a field on the east side of the road.
The plane broke apart into “several hundred pieces.”
According to a second release, U.S. 42 will be closed again today at about 2 p.m. so authorities can continue their investigation. The closure will be at U.S. 33 in Union County and Route 257 in Delaware County.
According to information provided by the Union County Coroner’s Office, the plane took off from Dayton International Airport at 5:17 p.m. He was due to land at the Delaware Municipal Airport at 5:45 p.m.
Union County Coroner David Applegate, a pilot himself, said the plane was falling at nearly 8,000 feet per minutes from a height of 1,700 feet. He noted that since the elevation in the area of the crash is around 1,000 feet, that means the plane started at only about 700 feet above the ground.
Applegate said Hayden’s body was in “hundreds of pieces.” He said right now, authorities have only found evidence of one occupant.
According to Applegate, authorities will go back to continue body recovery after the snow melts.
Earlier this morning, Applegate said he doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions, and said he was waiting for fingerprint and possibly dental records to come later in the day.
“I’m interested to learn what happened,” Applegate said.
Authorities closed the road, though according to a Nixle alert it was reopened as of 4 a.m. today.
“Power outages occurred as a result of the crash affecting the Village of Plain City and crews from Ohio Edison are on scene working to restore power,” reads the release.
Morgan said most of Plain City was without power.
Ohio Edison spokesperson Chris Eck said slightly fewer than 3,000 people in the Plain City area were without power.
He said power was restored for all customers by 7:45 p.m.
At the conference, Morgan said authorities had to deal with the heavy snow while investigating the crash.
“That’s become a hurdle to the investigation,” Morgan said.
According to the release, there was a light snow and overcast skies during the crash. Morgan said it’s “too soon to tell” if that weather played a role in the crash.
According to authorities, the Union County Emergency Management Agency, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation assisted the Sheriff’s Office.
“If there are other witnesses, we’d like them to contact the Sheriff’s Office,” Morgan said.