Two dead in plane crash

Debris found in northern Morgan County

By Evan Bevins, ebevins@mariettatimes.com
Two bodies have been recovered from the scene of a small plane crash in the ReCreation Lands area of northeastern Morgan County, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reports.

The names of the man and woman were not available as of this morning, but they were the only two people on the 1966 Beechcraft Bonanza’s flight log, said Sgt. Jeremy Landis, public information officer with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Peter Knudson, with the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane disappeared off radar at 10:12 a.m. Monday. Someone aboard the plane was talking with Cleveland Center, an air traffic control center, when it was lost on radar, he said.

Landis said local authorities learned of the crash around 1:35 p.m. Monday, but he did not have specific details about who made the call or how the crash was discovered.

The plane crashed between Ohio 284 and Ohio 83 in Bristol Township, Landis said. He described the area where it landed as extremely wooded.

“They’re actually trying to cut trails to get to everything they need,” Landis said.

Investigators remained at the scene as of 8:20 p.m.

It had not been determined where the plane was headed or from where it took off, Landis said.

According to the Federal Aviation administration’s online database at registry.faa.gov, the plane is registered to Philip B. Clemmons of Cullman, Ala.

The NTSB plans to investigate, Knudson said.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and M&M Fire Department took part in the search operation, according to The Zanesville Times Recorder’s Web site.