The National Transportation Safety Board has said that it will take months to complete its investigation into the crash that occurred in Marietta. The Ohio Highway Patrol confirmed Tuesday that two passengers were killed when the twin-engine plane they were travelling in crashed near the state line between Ohio and West Virginia.
Who Lost Their Lives in the Accident?
The deceased have been named as Eric Seevers, 45, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Timothy Gifford, 49, of Orient. They did not provide the identity of the plane’s pilot, according to the patrol.
The Dispatch confirmed with the Federal Aviation Administration that both men were licenced pilots. Gifford obtained his licence this year, and a medical examination in March confirmed that he needs to wear corrective lenses whenever he’s in the air. On June 18, Seevers was granted his pilot’s licence.
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Columbus firefighter union president Steve Stein says Gifford retired from the department’s Division of Fire after 20 years of service. Before leaving in May, he had been with the department since 2006.
A Facebook post claims that Gifford participated in the division’s heavy rescue squad. During his work, he rescued a number of people, including Monica Durban, a 20-year-old who was hit by a motorist on Interstate 70 in 2008 and had traumatic brain injuries and was in a coma for six weeks.
Durban in 2016 said that she only survived because of the “rapid response and persistent treatment” provided by Gifford, who was one among the first medics to reach at the scene of the incident.
Sadly, Tim Gifford was one of two individuals lost in a plane crash on Tuesday near Marietta.
His family released a statement saying they were “completely devastated” and “very appreciative” of the outpouring of love and support from the Columbus and Marietta areas. Gifford is continued in life by his family: parents, sister, wife, and three boys.
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Where Did Plane Crash Took Place?
The collision happened at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Pioneer Buick GMC dealership located in the 1000 block of Pike Street in Marietta. Images captured during the incident show a massive fireball erupting from the jet as it landed on the car dealership.
The patrol reports that there were no injuries to people on the ground but that there was damage to vehicles at the dealership.
What Was the Reason of Mishap?
That’s not known right now. Multiple agencies, including the FAA, NTSB, and the Highway Patrol, are looking into the disaster.
On Wednesday morning, Aaron McCarter, an NTSB aviation accident investigator, said during a briefing that it would likely take nine to 12 months to prepare a final report on what caused the disaster. Added that preliminary report data might be made accessible in around 10 days.
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What Will the NTSB Look Into?
The NTSB representative stated that there were no indications of trouble with the plane or distress calls from the two individuals on board previous to the incident. There had been concerns of possible icing in the region, he said, so the NTSB probe will also examine the plane’s deicing capabilities.
McCarter added that the probe will aim to determine if there was a fire on board just before impact. The plane was exempt from having a “black box” recorder installed. McCarter argued that some of the plane’s technology may serve a similar role by recording the plane’s altitude, the pilot’s input, and the plane’s operational status.
Following the completion of the on-site investigation, the plane’s debris will be moved to a facility in Delaware for further analysis.
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