COLUMBUS, Ohio — A plane heading to Columbus from Arkansas crashed Wednesday afternoon, killing all five people on board, authorities said.
The plane crashed a couple of miles south of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. 10TV's sister station KTHV reported that Emergency Communications was alerted at noon that a twin-engine crashed.
According to reports from the FAA, the plane, a Beech BE20, was departing from Clinton Airport heading to John Glenn International Airport with five people on board when the crash happened.
Those on board all worked for CTEH, an environmental consulting firm, and were going to help with the cleanup of an explosion at a metal manufacturing facility in Bedford, Ohio, CTEH said in a statement.
“We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues,” said Dr. Paul Nony, senior vice president of CTEH. “We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.”
There is currently no information on what caused the crash.
The crash occurred as a line of thunderstorms that the National Weather Service said included wind gusts of 40 miles an hour moved through the Little Rock area. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Cody Burk said it would be up to investigators to determine if weather was a factor.
While in East Palestine, Ohio visiting the site of a train derailment, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was asked about the plane crash.
“[CTEH] is a firm that is involved in this cleanup. I met with some of their personnel earlier today who are mourning the loss of their friends and colleagues – some of whom were involved in this response as they were on their way to another one," Buttigieg said. “My heart goes out to the people who are already in a very stressful situation here and are now having this added pain and facing it in a way that is, again, inspiring and moving."
The FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash and determine what caused it.
This is a developing story. Stay with 10TV for further updates.