Owner refuses to reveal names of passengers.
By Sreejith Vallikunnu
A private jet crashed into a residential apartment in Akron, Ohio at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, reportedly killing all people on board. Fortunately, no one was inside the apartment when the plane crashed, reducing the number of casualties.
According to Ohio.com, Augusto Lewkowicz, the owner of the plane confirmed that nine people were onboard the private jet, but the authorities are yet to confirm this.
Lewkowicz has refused to reveal names of the seven passengers and the two crew members who were onboard fateful jet. “I owe responses to the family members first,†he told the Beacon Journal on Tuesday afternoon. “It was a perfectly well-maintained aircraft with no squawks,†he added.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane descending steeply from the sky and a huge ball of fire after it crashed near the corner of Mogadore and Skelton roads.
According to FlightAware.com records, the plane originated from Fort Lauderdale on Monday, leaving the airport at around 7 a.m., first flying to St. Paul, Minn., then to the Quad City International Airport in Moline, and later to Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Missouri before finishing the day at about 7:50 p.m. at Cincinnati Municipal Airport.
On Tuesday, the plane made a short jaunt to Dayton Wright Brothers Airport before embarking at 2:13 p.m. for a 36-minute flight to Akron Fulton.
According to media reports, staff Lt. Bill Haymaker of the Ohio state highway patrol said the aircraft clipped electrical and telephone wires on Mogadore Road before hitting a small apartment building and slamming into an embankment, destroying the apartment completely. A second house in the area also was damaged, likely from the fiery debris.