Six people were killed after a small plane crashed in northeast Ohio on Sunday morning, officials said.
Two crew members and four passengers were on board the Cessna 441 plane that crashed seven minutes after taking off from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
NBC affiliate WFMJ of Youngstown reported that the Ohio State Highway Patrol received a call reporting a crash at 7:01 a.m. Sunday in the area of King Graves Road.
It crashed into a wooded area in Howland Township, 2 miles east of the airport. Officials said the plane was headed to Bozeman, Montana.
“We are heartbroken to report that there are no survivors,” Anthony Trevena, executive director at Western Reserve Port Authority, said at a news conference Sunday.
First responders retrieved the bodies from the wreckage and they are with the coroner’s office. Identities are pending next-of-kin notification.
The National Transportation Safety Board was on site Sunday evening and is investigating the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is also aiding in the investigation.
Howland Township Fire Chief Ray Pace said it was difficult to access the plane as it crashed in a heavily wooded area between King Graves Road and Spring Run Road. Authorities could only put out a fire at the crash site through those roads and a person’s backyard.
Pace said the tragedy is likely the deadliest plane crash in the county’s history.
Officials said the pilots were “highly experienced.”
“These were the best of the best in terms of folks here at the field, as well as the pilots. Can’t say enough about them and give anything to rewind the day and take them to breakfast instead,” Mike Hillman of Jets FBO said.
“I can’t think of better people. So our community is at a great loss, and these were really wonderful people. It’s a very tight-knit community, so all those in the aviation community have reached out. These are really important people to us, so we’re grateful for the support of our community,” Trevena added.
