Maria Weller,Joseph Maxin Obituary, Death;- The Trumbull County Coroner’s Office has identified the six people who died in Sunday’s plane crash in Howland Township.
The victims have been identified as:
- Veronica Weller, 68, passenger
- James Weller, 67, passenger
- John Weller, 36, passenger
- Maria Weller, 34, passenger
- Joseph Maxin, 63, pilot
- Timothy Blake, 55, co-pilot
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, troopers received a call around 7:01 a.m. Sunday reporting a plane crash in the area of King Graves Road and Henn Hyde Road.
The plane went down in the backyard of a home about two miles east of the airport. Officials said it was difficult to access. “It landed in a heavily wooded area essentially between King Graves Road and Spring Run Road, so we had to access the crash site from both roads,” said Howland Township Fire Chief Raymond Pace.
“Upon arrival, personnel from the Howland Township Fire Department, in coordination with the Youngstown Air Reserve Station Fire Department, located the downed aircraft fully engulfed in flames,” township fire officials stated in a release. “Firefighters began an aggressive fire suppression operation using multiple handlines and a specialized crash response vehicle from the Air Reserve Station.”
Once the fire was brought under control, emergency personnel were able to conduct search operations and access the plane wreckage. Howland Township fire crews remained on location until 7:57 p.m. to assist with recovery efforts and support the ongoing investigation.
At a press conference following the crash, Pace called it the deadliest in the township’s history.
“We are heartbroken to report that there are no survivors,” said Anthony Trevena, Executive Director at Western Reserve Port Authority.
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told 3News on Monday that they are investigating Sunday’s crash of the Cessna 411 airplane, noting that two investigators were at the accident site.
During their investigation, NTSB will investigate three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment. During the process, investigators gather information from the following:
- Flight track data
- Recordings of any air traffic control communications
- Aircraft maintenance records
- Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
- Pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience
- 72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight
- Witness statements
- Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
- Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
The NTSB is also asking witnesses to the accident or those who have surveillance video or other information that could be relevant to the investigation to contact them at witness@ntsb.gov.
