Man was practicing maneuvers near Rostraver Airport
Firefighters block off the area where the plane went down at the Rostraver Airport on Wednesday.
A single-engine plane crashed near Rostraver Airport Wednesday afternoon, killing one, according to the Westmoreland County coroner’s office.
Firefighters block off the area where a plane went down at Rostraver Airport Wednesday.
Firefighters block off the area where a plane went down at Rostraver Airport Wednesday.
A Jefferson Hills man was killed Wednesday afternoon when the single-engine plane he was piloting crashed near Rostraver Airport, the Westmoreland County coroner’s office said.
John Graham III, 42, was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m. by Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Joshua C. Zappone.
According to Gabe Monzo, executive director of the airport, Graham was practicing touch-and-go maneuvers on a runway when something went wrong and the plane veered to the left and over an embankment.
The 1940s Howard aircraft came to a rest in a wooded area and caught fire near the county-owned airport at 605 Airport Road in Rostraver Township. Graham was unable to extricate himself from the plane.
Rostraver fire department, emergency personnel and the Westmoreland County coroner responded to the scene.
The FAA and the NTSB will arrive at the airport Thursday morning to investigate the accident.
The airport will remain closed until 8 a.m. Thursday, Monzo said.
Rostraver Township fire chief Greg Resetar said the fire department received a call that a plane went down at 2:36 p.m.
“When we arrived, the plane was fully engulfed,” said Resetar.
Monzo said rescuers determined Graham was flying alone.
“It’s always tough,” said Monzo. “We’ve been involved with a lot of these over the years and you hate to see it. It’s tough on everybody, its tough on the aviation community.”
The cause and manner of Graham’s death are pending an autopsy that will be performed today.