Two people were killed when a DC-3 Aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol, the aircraft crashed in Wayne County, 60 miles south of Cleveland.
The pilot, 55 year old Brian Stoltzfus, was the Pilot in Command of the aircraft. Curtis Wilkerson, 56, was his co-pilot.
Initial reports said the the 70-year old aircraft was suffering engine trouble, which led to the aircraft to strike a utility pole, and a few trees, before impacting the ground.
“I’ve never felt a force inside the house that strong where it shook the house,” said Michael Morrison, who owns the property where the plane crashed.
“I called 911, I grabbed as many blankets as I could, I tried to come out and I tried to give a hand to people assisting from the airport,” Morrison told local news. “By then they seemed to have it pretty much in control.”
No one one the ground was injured, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol
The DC-3 involved in the incident, registration N467KS, was built in 1942 according to the Federal Aviation Administration Database.
The investigation is still ongoing.
The DC-3 is arguably one of the most important aircraft ever built. Originally designed as a military transport, the DC-3 boasts an impressive range and cruise speed, higher than any other aircraft at the time. At the end of World War 2, the airliner market was bombarded with DC-3 aircraft, but airlines had already found replacements for the DC-3 such as the DC-6, and the Lockheed Constellation. However, the aircraft did find use directly after the war by flying supplies during the Berlin Airlift. The DC-3 served as a passenger aircraft in the 1930’s, and it still does today!
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, approximately 2000 DC-3 aircraft are still flying today. Perhaps the most well-known DC-3 fleet still flying today is that of Buffalo Airways, a Canadian airline based in Yellowknife. The company currently operates 6 DC-3 aircraft, and 1 C-47, which is the military variant of the DC-3.
