Six people, including a regional business leader and three members of his family, have been identified as the victims of a plane crash minutes from an airport in Youngstown, Ohio.
James Weller II, 67, was the president and CEO of Liberty Steel Industries, Inc. in Warren, Ohio, according to reports, though the company declined a request for comment from the Daily News.
Also killed were his wife, Veronica Weller, 68; son John Weller, 36, and John’s wife, 34-year-old Maria Weller, the Trumbull County coroner said Monday.
Pilot Joseph Maxin, 63, and co-pilot Timothy Blake, 55, were also killed in the crash. Maxin was director of compliance for the Western Reserve Port Authority (WRPA), the agency that operates the airport, and previously served on the board. The veteran pilot also taught aviation at the newly established flight school at Youngstown State University (YSU).
The Wellers were embarking on a family vacation to Bozeman, Mont., when the twin-engine Cessna 441 turboprop plummeted seven minutes after takeoff from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, reported local CBS affiliate WKBN. The plane landed in a backyard about 2 miles away from the end of the runway.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a Cessna 441 crashed near the airport around 6:55 a.m. local time on Sunday, with six people onboard. It went down in a “heavily wooded area,” Howland Township Fire Chief Raymond Pace said in a statement.
The horrific crash, which is currently being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, was the deadliest in the area’s history, Pace said. He added that it could have been worse, since there were three houses nearby. The residents of those homes were jolted awake by the crash.
“I thought there was a storm, and two more pops of thunder-like sound,” followed by flashing lights and billowing smoke, Rachel Flowers told WHIO. “Smoke, lots of smoke, flames at the beginning, but the crews put it out pretty fast.”
Tributes, shock and sympathy flowed in from the WRPA, YSU, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and other organizations tied to the plane’s occupants. Those included Hartford’s Sharon Speedway, which James Weller’s father, James Weller Sr., co-owned from 2002-2024.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Jim Weller, Jr., his wife Veronica, along with their son John and his wife Maria on Sunday,” Sharon Speedway said in a statement. “Jim won 36 times in the Big-Block Modified division at Sharon Speedway and was a 2-time track champion. Please keep the Weller Family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this difficult time.”
With News Wire Services
