A small plane crashed into a home in Akron, Ohio, on Thursday afternoon, killing the two people aboard and sending heavy black smoke over a residential neighborhood about 15 minutes south of downtown. Fire officials evacuated the damaged house and a nearby home after the crash, which happened at about 3:45 p.m. local time.
The aircraft was identified as a Piper PA-28, and the two people on board were found dead inside the plane. No injuries were reported on the ground. Topgolf Akron sits across the street from the crash site, underscoring how close the impact came to a busy commercial stretch and nearby homes.
The crash happened near the Akron Fulton Airport, and federal investigators are now expected to sort out what brought the plane down. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they will investigate.
American Winds College of Aeronautics, which is based in the area, said all of its airplanes were safe in their hangars and accounted for. In a Facebook post, the school said it was deeply saddened to hear of a plane crash near the Akron Fulton Airport and added, “We pray for the pilot, anyone on board and their families.”
The immediate danger on the ground appears to have passed, but the answers that matter most now are still in the wreckage and the flight record: who was aboard, why the plane came down in a neighborhood, and whether investigators can determine whether this was a mechanical failure, a pilot problem or something else entirely.
