WASHINGTON — What caused the deadly crash of a small airplane in Marietta, Ohio, in mid-October has not been determined, a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report on the crash indicated.
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Timothy Gifford, 49, a former Columbus firefighter from Orient, and Eric Seevers, 45, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, were aboard the Beech E-90 that slammed into the parking lot of the Pioneer Buick Dealership on Oct. 18. Both men died.
The NTSB released its preliminary investigation Wednesday, our news partner WBNS (10tv.com) is reporting.
According to the report, the crash occurred about 90 minutes after the private aircraft left John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Gifford and Seevers were in communication with the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center and their discussions were normal, according to the report.
The controllers cleared the flight to descend and also cleared a runway for them at Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport.
Multiple witnesses at the airport and in the area around the crash site said the plane was flying normally but suddenly took a steep descent and spun vertically to the ground, according to the report.
The NTSB said preliminary weather information at the time indicated that pilot reports throughout the area for trace to moderate icing conditions.
The plane caught fire in the crash. The flames destroyed most of the fuselage, the cockpit, the anti-icing system and other parts of the plane.
The wreckage was retained for further examination, NTSB investigators said in the report.
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