COLUMBUS – Authorities say a 44-year-old Arizona man died when a small plane crashed into a farm field in Union County Sunday afternoon.
UPDATE 3/18/19 10:19 a.m.: Includes identity of pilot and more information on aircraft and flight
The 1974 Cessna 421B twin engine, piloted by Matthew Hayden, of Phoenix, crashed in overcast and snowy conditions on US Route 42, between Harriott Road and Bell Road at approximately 5:42 p.m., Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton said.
The eight-seater was en route from Dayton International Airport to Delaware Municipal Airport at approximately 5:17 p.m. when it crashed in a farm field on the west side of US Route 42 and then continued across the roadway, striking several utility poles, before coming to rest in a field on the east side of US Route 42, Patton said.
Deputies and units from the Jerome Township Fire Department responded to the scene after 911 calls were received at approximately 5:24 pm. and found the crash site stretching approximately four to five hundred yards.
The plane which is owned by Classic Solutions Company, Inc., of Bakersfield, Calif., broke apart in several hundred pieces, Patton said.
The crash caused a power outage in Plain City.
The cause of the crash is unknown and the Ohio Department of Transportation says U.S. Route 42 will be closed again Monday as the investigation continues.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified.
Other agencies assisting at the scene include the Union County Emergency Management Agency, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation.