Small Plane Crashes Onto Busy Highway In Eastern Ohio

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Plane Crashes Onto Busy Highway; Pilot Killed

POSTED: 11:31 am EDT July 11, 2006
UPDATED: 12:27 am EDT July 12, 2006

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- One person is dead after a plane crashed onto a busy stretch of highway in Jefferson County.

The plane is currently in a hangar at the Jefferson County Airpark where investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration are expected to begin examining the wreckage.

The plane crashed about 11:30 a.m. on the westbound ramp of U.S. Route 22 at John Scott Highway. The small plane was completely destroyed.

The victim, 22-year-old Scott M. Holland of Ridgeville, Ohio, was the only person on-board the Piper 18. Officials said the man departed for Pittsburgh from Toledo's Metcalf Airport around 9:30 a.m.

An eyewitness said the plane was directly above his vehicle as he was driving down the highway. The plane then struck wires, sparking a brush fire.

First responders from the Steubenville Fire Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and other agencies were on the scene, and both lanes of Route 22 were closed near the scene of the accident.

Lt. Matt Evans of the Ohio Highway Patrol said, "Witnesses said the plane was flying low. It was actually following U.S. 22 headed eastbound, and at that time it struck the power lines that cross (Route) 22."

The plane slammed into the ramp, crumpling the two-seater plane, spilling fuel on the highway, and sparking a small fire in the hills.

Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla said, "I'm thinking there was a chance he may have run out of gas. There was very little fuel in the plane."

Though little is known about the young pilot, Evans said there was a business card in the plane for an aerial advertising company, and there were also banners in the plane that can be pulled behind an aircraft. NEWS9 has confirmed through FAA records that the plane belongs to Air America Aerial Advertising, which is based in the Toledo area.

Abdalla said, "He may have been heading for the All-Star game in Pittsburgh to fly some banners ... around the stadium."

It is common for pilots to follow large landmarks like highways, because small planes typically don't use radar and pilots simply use their eyes and a compass to navigate.

Investigators have not yet determined why the pilot was flying so low over the busy highway.

Stay with NEWS9 for continuing coverage.

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