David Eckstein Crash

Four die after twin-engine Cessna 340 slams nose first into couple's yard

The Cessna 340 with four people aboard had issued no distress call and was headed for the Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport.
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )
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By LAREN WEBER
BLADE STAFF WRITER

PORT CLINTON - While on his way to his rural Danbury Township home yesterday afternoon, Greg Dziak watched in disbelief as a low-flying passenger plane plummeted straight into the ground.

The twin-engine Cessna 340 airplane carrying four adult passengers - two males and two females - slammed nose first into the backyard of a house at 5150 East Port Clinton Rd. in Ottawa County just before 1 p.m., killing all of those on board, authorities said.

"It just twirled down into the ground," said Mr. Dziak, who was driving home with his son when the crash occurred. "It's like it fell out of the sky."

Killed in the crash were the pilot of the plane, David P. Eckstein, 67, and three passengers: John D. McCarter, 68, Karen S. Saprano, 62, and Janet M. Hanna, 66; all four are from the Mansfield, Ohio, area. The Ohio Highway Patrol released the names Sunday morning but did not immediately know the relationship between the four.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration's Web site, the aircraft was sold Dec. 28 by Sport Truck LLC of Coldwater, Mich., to Eckstein Aviation LLC, of Mansfield, Ohio, which was owned by Mr. Eckstein.

Mr. Eckstein was described as a veteran flier who often donated his aviation services to charities.

"He was very active around our airport. Dave was a good man. We're going to miss him," said Mark Daugherty, operations supervisor of Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport.

"He was very highly respected," said Mr. Daugherty, who has known Mr. Eckstein about a decade. "I've been up flying with Dave several times. I'd fly with him any day of the week."

Minutes before the crash, those aboard the plane announced over the radio that they intended to land at the Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport, airport director Jack Stables said. He said he did not know where the flight originated. The airport is about two miles from the crash site, between State Rt. 269 and State Rt. 53.

Mr. Stables said he watched the plane fly across a field near the airport to begin the landing pattern with no indication of distress. Authorities yesterday confirmed that no distress calls were made.

The aircraft's landing gear and flaps were down, apparently in preparation to land.

"Everything seemed normal and I could hear both engines working fine," Mr. Stables said. "Then we never heard from them again."

Mr. Dziak and his son, Justin, were among the first to arrive on the scene. He said it was apparent from the wreckage that there were no survivors.

Shortly after the Dziaks arrived, an off-duty emergency medical technician arrived and told them there was "nothing we can do."

The airplane's nose was partially submerged in the soft, wet ground. The body of a female passenger in the back of the plane had been partly ejected, authorities said.

"It's just a mangled mess," Ottawa County Sheriff Bob Bratton said of the scene.

Authorities said it may not be possible to identify the fourth person until the plane is lifted out of the ground.

Sgt. Eric Wlodarsky, of the Ohio Highway Patrol's Sandusky post, said the crash remains under investigation, but it appears to have been a result of pilot error.

A Federal Aviation Administration official who was driving on State Rt. 2 yesterday afternoon watched as the Cessna spiraled toward the ground, providing authorities with a first-hand account as to what may have brought down the plane, Sergeant Wlodarsky said.

The plane was about 900 feet to 1,000 feet above the ground and appeared to be making a turn, likely heading toward a landing strip at the airport.

Sergeant Wlodarsky said the aircraft appeared to have slowed down and the decrease in speed may have caused the plane to nose dive. Authorities are unsure what would have caused the plane to lose speed.

"You have to keep enough air speed going across the wings to keep flying," the sergeant said last night. "Once the wind stops flowing over the wings, that plane is no longer going to stay in the air."

Searchlights were set up last night to illuminate the crash site for officials from the National Transportation Safety Board, who along with the FAA, will investigate the cause of the crash. Sergeant Wlodarsky said the Highway Patrol will conduct its own investigation.

Chester Alexander was lying on the couch taking a nap with his wife when he felt his house shake and looked out to see the plane in his backyard, with its tail in the air.

Mr. Alexander said he didn't hear the plane fly over, but said when it hit the ground, the impact "shook the whole house."

"We only felt and heard it when it hit," the 79-year-old said. The crash occurred about 300 feet from his house.

Alice Orschoski, who lives across the street from where the plane crashed, said she heard the plane sputter as it flew overhead. She said it sounded similar to trying to start a disabled car.

"I heard it sputtering and trying to restart," she said.

Shawn Avra, the owner of the firm that sold the plane to Eckstein Aviation, said he had owned the plane for 10 years before selling it two weeks ago.

The aircraft had about 6,000 hours of flying time when it was sold, Mr. Avra said.

Mr. Eckstein, who owned several airplanes, was active in the Young Eagles, a program of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Young Eagles holds events at the Mansfield airport each spring and fall to send children up in planes with pilots who donate their time, fuel, and planes to fly the children around, Mr. Daugherty said. According to the Young Eagles' Web site, Mr. Eckstein flew 358 "missions" to introduce children to flying.

"Dave has always been affiliated with the program," Mr. Daugherty said. "It was just his love of aviation."