A small jet crashed into an apartment building in Akron, Ohio during its final approach to Akron Fulton International Airport and as many as nine people may have died in the crash.
Aftermath of Akron plane crash into apartment building. Pilot and co-pilot both killed. Video sent in by viewer pic.twitter.com/Igp3gn9c2q— Jessica Dill (@JessicaLynnDill) November 10, 2015
The crash happened just before 3 p.m. local time at the intersection of Mogadore and Skleton roads in eastern Akron, where the Hawker H25 smashed into an apartment building and caused an explosion.
The jet clipped a utility wire on the way down and burst into flames, disintegrating after impact, Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker said. The plane then hit an embankment beyond the apartment building, causing a nearby house to also burn, he said.
Power had been knocked out for approximately 1,500 customers, according to a city statement.
City of Akron, Ohio statement on the plane crash, via @SAssadWEWS pic.twitter.com/ZuKHfGcpf4— reported.ly (@reportedly) November 10, 2015
In a post to social media, one Snapchat user claimed to be filming herself when the crash took place.
@fox8news I live in that apartment complex and I was snap chatting while the crash happened coincidently! pic.twitter.com/QtMJcQsH86— ¥PAIGE¥ (@paigeey_kinns15) November 10, 2015
Although the woman said she lives in "that apartment complex" and "was snap chatting while the crash happened coincidently," it's unclear where she was filming herself since an Akron Fire Department spokeswoman said no one was inside the small brick apartment building or a neighboring home that caught fire. An OHP official confirmed to the Beacon Journal there were no deaths or injuries on the ground.
While the total number of deaths has yet to be confirmed, the owner of the plane, Augusto Lewkowicz, told the Akron Beacon Journal, that nine people were on board when it crashed.
Other reports varied. Citing sources, NBC 4 in Columbus reported at least seven dead while other outlets, including the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, have only confirmed two deaths thus far.
Authorities said the resulting fire at the apartment building has severely hampered the investigation.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));On my way to work, I just saw a house on fire on Mogadore RdUpdate: it was confirmed as a plane crashingPosted by Cory Frizzell on Tuesday, November 10, 2015
The FAA and NTSB are both reportedly joining the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.