JACKSON COUNTY — Three people were killed after a plane crashed in southeast Ohio Saturday.
The crash happened near the James A. Rhodes Airport, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were dispatched to a possible fire near the airport just after noon in the area of Keystone Station and Barton Roads, the sheriff’s office said.
Upon arrival, the Jackson Fire Department discovered that an aircraft was burning just off the roadway on Barton Road. While crews worked to extinguish the fire, EMS responders and deputies identified three deceased passengers.
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The plane was identified as a Piper aircraft Model # PA32-300, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies were able to identify a passenger in the plane by a vehicle parked at the airport. The owner of the vehicle was also discovered to be the pilot, 44-year-old Daniel T. Baker, of Jackson, the sheriff’s office said.
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The other two passengers were identified as Baker’s father, 78-year-old Robert Daniel Baker of Lucasville, and a friend, Zebulon D. Logan, 45, of Lucasville. Their identities were confirmed by the families of the men.
According to the sheriff’s office, family members said the men were en route to Florida to pick up a vehicle that had been purchased by Logan.
Their bodies were sent to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for autopsies.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol, along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will investigate the cause of the crash.
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