Pilot killed after fiery crash into Madeira home identified
A pilot is dead after a plane crashed into a home in Madeira, Ohio, fire officials said Tuesday night.
Officials identified the pilot as 62-year-old David Sapp, of Sun City, Arizona.
The plane went down around 3:18 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Kaywood Drive and Rollymeade Avenue, just a few blocks from Kenwood Country Club.
According to crash investigators, a twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft crashed into the backyard of a Rollymeade home, slamming into a remodeled rear extension.
The fiery crash sent plumes of black smoke into the air and could be seen from miles around.
"I heard a loud bang and then, a couple seconds later, I sent a text to my husband and said, 'Did you guys hear that? It sounded like a plane crash,'" neighbor Jenny Brock said. "I knew right away."
The pilot -- later identified as Sapp -- was killed in the crash. Officials initially said additional occupants could be on board but have since clarified that Sapp was the sole occupant.
No one inside the home was injured, officials said, and every living being inside – including two dogs – is accounted for.
According to Madeira-Indian Hill Fire Chief Steve Ashbrock, the plane was going to Lunken Airport.
Ashbrock said the plane had been tasked with taking aerial photos in the area. The cause of the crash remains unknown and is under investigation.
Patrol officials say the plane was registered to Marc Inc., based in Bolton, Mississippi. A message seeking comment was left for the company's attorney.
Bill Heckle, who lives in the neighborhood, is a pilot and he was in the air in the same area shortly after the crash.
"Absolutely ideal flying conditions. Very calm in the air," Heckle said.
He said that when he landed, he had several missed calls and texts from his wife, who had been worried that he was on the plane that went down. He said she was emotional and relieved when he called her after landing. Still, he is mourning the pilot who was killed.
"Anytime a plane goes down, the community of pilots are always very saddened by that," he said.
The typically quiet neighborhood was transformed into a chaotic scene Tuesday afternoon. Children riding bicycles and couples walking dogs all watched the fiery scene unfold.
David Moore said he was waiting for his grandson to get off the school bus when he noticed the low-flying plane.
"Then, all of a sudden, it just tipped and went straight down," Moore said. "…It just angled right down into the backyard of the house over here, got a swimming pool in the backyard."
The fiery impact left a gaping hole in the rear of the home. Moore said he quickly called 911.
"There was just a small fire," Moore said. "It hit a house – part of a house – and it flipped over. So it landed on the nose of the plane and the rest of the fuselage was intact. But then, by the time the fire department got there, the fire (burned) up the whole plane."