An Athens County man died Saturday while piloting a small, single-engine aircraft toward an unknown destination, according to authorities who said little information was available Sunday evening.
Charles W. Wagner, 73, of Athens County was the sole occupant in the 1972 Bellanca Super Viking, a four-passenger plane, and was declared dead at the scene, said Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper Nathan Smith.
Athens County 911 received a call at 6:35 p.m. Saturday reporting a plane crash near the intersection between U.S. Route 50 and State Route 32 near Ohio University’s Gordon K. Bush Airport. The Albany Area Volunteer Fire Department and Athens County Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified later that night, and its investigation go team was sent to the scene to find the cause of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board, the federal agency that investigates transportation accidents like the one in Albany, has also received the information and is now investigating the crash as well.
“We really have little information on the Athens plane crash,” said Terry Williams, a spokesman for the board. “We are still investigating and there will be more information available either later (Sunday) or early (Monday) morning.”
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