Wealthy steel tycoon and his family killed in horror plane crash
James 'Jim' Weller, 67, the owner of Liberty Steel Industries Inc; his wife Veronica Weller, 68; their son, John Weller, 36; and daughter-in-law Maria Weller, 34, were heading on vacation to Bozeman, Montana when the twin-engine Cessna they were traveling on suddenly went down, WFMJ reports.
The family took off from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at 6.53am on Sunday, and crashed less than seven minutes later, landing in the backyard of a home just two miles west of the airport.
In addition to the Wellers, the crash took the lives of Pilot Joseph Maxin, 63, and co-pilot Timothy Blake, 55.
First responders initially faced difficulty reaching the crash site due to the dense woods, but were eventually able to recover the bodies of all six people onboard.
'This is an extremely tragic situation, but it could have been worse,' Howland Fire Chief Ray Pace said at a news conference on Sunday, noting that the plane crashed in a residential neighborhood.
The sound of the collision woke resident Rachel Flowers, she told Cleveland 19.
'I thought there was a storm and then two more pops of thunder-like sound,' Flowers recounted.
When she and other neighbors then went to check on what happened, they were met with the sound of sirens, flashing lights and billowing smoke.
Joe Nuskievicz also told WKBN how he, 'noticed the sound of an airplane in the distance, that the engine didn't sound right.
'It sounded very underpowered - just like it didn't sound like it had enough power to be able to really go, and I noticed that I didn't see it. It was below the tree lines,' he said.
Moments later, Nuskievicz said he 'heard a loud crash, a horrible crash'.
'I could hear trees cracking, you know, heavy impact and I knew that it crashed but I couldn't see it.'
At that point, he said he told his wife they needed to go see if they could find any survivors and called 911.
When Nuskievicz then reached the crash site, he said he yelled to see if any survivors would respond as first responders arrived on the scene.
'It was scary,' he admitted. 'First, my heart just hurt, you know, knowing that there probably was not going to be any survivors and you know, when you live around an airport, you always have a concern.
'We have planes coming in daily and some of them are barely clearing the treetops here,' Nuskievicz noted.
Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions then descended on the scene and were able to quickly put out a growing blaze cause by the crash.
They were then able to transport the bodies to the Trumbull County Coroner for identification.
Once the victims' identities were released on Monday, community members came together to share their condolences.
'The Weller family's contributions in the steel industry are part of the region's proud industrial history and helped shape the economic fabric of the Valley for generations,' the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.
'Their loss is immeasurable, both personally and professionally, and their absence will be profoundly felt across the Valley.'
The Weller family has been associated with the steel industry for 60 years, according to The Business Journal.
Jim Weller Sr., who died in January at the age of 94, cofounded Liberty Steel Products in 1965 with his father, Andrew, and brother, Jack, in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.
The company eventually moved to North Jackson, Ohio, where it processes and distributes carbon flat-rolled steel.
By 2015, the family formed Liberty Steel Industries Inc, which operates steel processing, welding, fabrication and stamping plants in Warren, Ohio and Saltillo, Mexico.
They also operate a distribution center in Lordstown, Ohio.
Outside of the steel business, the Wellers were known for their love of racing.
Jim Weller Sr. once co-owned the Sharon Speedway and the Wellers' other son, Jimmy, is a professional race car driver. He was not on the plane with his parents, brother and sister-in-law.
'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,' the Speedway wrote on X.
'Jim won 36 times in the Big-Block Modified division at Sharon Speedway and was a two-time track champion. His late father Jim Weller, Sr. co-owned Sharon Speedway from 2002-2024. Please keep the Weller Family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate this difficult time.'
The Ryan Blaney Family Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources for people and families that are dealing with Alzheimer's disease or concussion diagnosis, also shared its condolences.
'We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friends, James, Veronica, John and Maria Weller. Their kindness and warmth will be greatly missed,' it wrote on Facebook.
Community members also came together to remember pilot Joseph Maxin, who previously worked as an assistant prosecutor for the Mahoning County Prosecutors Office and was serving as the Western Reserve Port Authority's director of compliance at his death.
The Port Authority owns the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, from where the Cessna took off.
'These were the best of the best in terms of the folks here at the field as well as the pilots, and can't say enough about them and give anything to rewind the day and take them to breakfast instead,' aviation expert Mike Hillman said.
The Western Reserve Port Authority also released a statement calling Maxin, 'a selfless public servant and pilot' who 'dedicated his life to serving the Mahoning Valley.
'From his work in the Mahoning County Prosecutors Office to the instrumental role of launching the flight school in collaboration with Youngstown State University, he was committed to educating the next generation of aviation professionals.'
The Mahoning County Prosecutors Office added that Maxin was, 'not only a skilled attorney, but also a beloved friend and colleague known for his kindness, good nature and one-of-a-kind humorous personality.'
Youngstown State University offered its own condolences, saying it is 'especially grieving alongside the Weller family, whose longstanding legacy and support have meant so much to YSU over the years and we mourn the loss of the two pilots who were scheduled to join YSU's aviation program as instructors.'
The cause of the plane crash remains unclear, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are now investigating the incident.
They will examine the pilot, the aircraft and the operating equipment in an effort to determine what may have led to the tragic collision.
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