07-05-2025
What the NTSB has learned about Monday's fatal plane crash in Ashland County
POLK, Ohio (WJW) — The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash of a small aircraft in Ashland County on Monday night.
NTSB Air Safety Investigator Todd Gunther on Wednesday gave an update on the investigation from the Polk Jackson Perry Fire District station in Polk.
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The Express 2000 FT single-engine aircraft piloted by 72-year-old Gary Wolfelt, of Indiana, crashed just after 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Jackson Township, near the intersection of state Route 89 and Township Road 902, according to officials.
Courtesy of OSHP
Wolfelt was killed. He was believed to be the only person on board, state officials previously said.
Gunther said the four-seater plane was an experimental craft, home-built from a kit, made of fiberglass composite and powered by a six-cylinder, 300-horsepower engine.
The craft appeared to have crashed with its nose down about 10 to 15 degrees, and may have been spinning to the right, Gunther said.
Investigators recovered all four corners of the craft at the scene, including the tips of both wings, the nose and the tail. They're now looking at the connections between the cockpit and the devices used to control the craft, like the elevator and rudders.
There were no signs of an explosion during the flight or a fire after the crash, Gunther said. The plane was fueled, and that fuel was found leaking at the scene. The plane's fuel tanks were ruptured, but their caps were intact, suggesting the tanks were ruptured in the crash, he said.
Investigators have found the plane's emergency locator transmitter. U.S. Air Force rescue coordinators told the NTSB they did not receive any signal from the downed craft, Gunther said.
State officials previously suggested severe weather may have been a factor in the crash.
NTSB investigators are now relying on meteorologists to interpret the weather conditions at the time of the crash, Gunther said.
They're also looking for non-volatile memory storage from the plane, which can retain data without being powered, and may tell investigators what the plane was doing when it crashed. They're also looking at its automatic dependence surveillance broadcast, which could give the plane's positioning in time and space, he said.
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The plane had departed from Burke Lakefront Airport, state officials said on Tuesday. Wolfelt was supposed to be returning home.
They'll also consider Wolfelt's pilot and maintenance records, as well as reports on his physiology, medical certification and physical condition at the time of the crash.
A preliminary NTSB report on the crash is expected in the next 30 days, Gunther said. The full investigation will take 18 months.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are also involved in the investigation.
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