Ohio Plane Crash: Michigan Pilot Critical After Aircraft Crashes In Field

A small plane crashed in eastern Ohio on Wednesday (May 27), leaving the pilot in a critical condition.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol officers responded to the area of Losego Road and October Road in Guernsey County after receiving a report of a plane crash around 3 p.m. EDT. Witnesses told the officers that they saw the plane flying low and heard the engine sputtering.

The single-engine 1961 Beechcraft 35-A33 took off from Columbus and the authorities did not know its destination. The aircraft crashed in a field and the pilot, identified as 54-year-old Paul Emaus, of Hudsonville, Michigan, had to be extricated from the plane.

The pilot, who suffered critical injuries, was flown to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for treatment. Authorities confirmed that he was the only occupant at the time of the crash.

The crash was being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board. Preliminary investigation revealed that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor. All the roads remained open in the area.

According to local reports, the pilot was involved in another crash earlier this year. Emaus was attempting to land his Beechcraft Bonanza at the Ohio State University Don Scott Airport when the aircraft skidded across the runway until it came to a halt. No one was injured in the incident and Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were investigating the crash.

The recent incident comes days after a pilot was killed after a single-engine plane crashed on the grounds of a school in northern Santa Barbara County, California. The plane, Cirrus SR20, which took off from Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, crashed onto the basketball courts of Ralph Dunlap Elementary School in the Orcutt area. The plane burst into flames and the pilot, who was the only occupant in the plane when the crash took place, died at the scene. The identity of the pilot was not revealed and investigators said the plane was headed for Santa Maria. No one else was injured in the incident as the school was closed due to the stay-at-home order.