The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Columbus, Ohio
Continental Motors; Mobile, Alabama
Textron; Wichita, Kansas
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
https://registry.faa.gov/N424TW
Accident Number: CEN19FA100
Date & Time: 03/17/2019, 1745 EDT
Registration: N424TW
Aircraft: Cessna 421
Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Business
On March 17, 2019, about 1745 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 421B airplane, N424TW impacted terrain near Plain City, Ohio. The commercial rated pilot, sole occupant, was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to Classic Solutions, Inc. and operated by Phoenix Test Flight, LLC, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The flight departed Dayton (KDAY), Dayton, Ohio about 1720, en route to (KDLZ) Delaware, Ohio.
A preliminary review of radio communications revealed the pilot was in contact with air traffic control and there was no record of a distress call. The pilot requested runway 28 RNAV approach at KDLZ. The pilot also reported that he was encountering icing. The controller cleared the flight to 2,500 ft. Shortly afterwards, the airplane made a left turn, and radar and radio communication were lost.
The airplane impacted a rural field about 8 miles southwest of the KDLZ airport. Ground impact scars and wreckage were consistent with a left-wing low impact. The wreckage path was orientated on about a 140-degree heading. From the initial impact point, the airplane crossed a two-lane road before impacting two wooden utility poles. The main part of the wreckage came to rest at the base of the second utility pole, about 395 ft from the initial impact point. The wreckage path was about 850 ft long with the wreckage highly fragmented along the wreckage path. There was not a post-crash fire.
After documentation of the accident site, the airplane was recovered for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N424TW
Model/Series: 421 B
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: Phoenix Flight Test
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Instrument Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KDLZ
Observation Time: 2135 UTC
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 1°C / 0°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 400 ft agl
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 3 knots / , 80°
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 1600 ft agl
Visibility: 3 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.02 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Dayton, OH (KDAY)
Destination: Delaware, OH (KDLZ)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 40.188333, -83.204444 (est)
Lt Col (retired) Matthew "Rip" Hayden
Matthew Alan Hayden
August 22nd, 1974 – March 17th, 2019
Matthew Alan Hayden was born on August 22nd, 1974 and passed away on March 17th, 2019. No services are scheduled at this time. In the care of Tobias Funeral Home - Belmont Chapel, Dayton, Ohio
PLAIN CITY — An experienced Air Force fighter pilot from Arizona died Sunday when a Cessna plane he was flying in snowy weather crashed in a field off Route 42 in Union County.
Matthew A. Hayden, 44, of Phoenix, had taken off from Dayton International Airport at 5:17 p.m. and was headed to Delaware Municipal Airport in Delaware County, according to the Union County sheriff’s office.
The Cessna 421B Golden Eagle II was owned by Classic Solutions Company Inc. in Bakersfield, California. Hayden had just picked up the plane at the Dayton airport, Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton said. He said Hayden was flying to Delaware to meet a friend and was expected to move on from there to another destination.
The eight-seat Cessna he was flying went down at 5:42 p.m. near Route 42 between Harriott and Bell roads in Jerome Township, about 7 miles northeast of Plain City and near the Delaware County line. The aircraft broke into hundreds of pieces in the field.
A witness heard the plane descending and then the crash, and called 911 as he headed to the scene. He stayed on the phone as he came upon the wreckage.
Patton said friends of Hayden’s told authorities that he had only recently retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. Hayden was a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a renowned military pilot and flight instructor. He had served as a test pilot in both the F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and had piloted the F-16 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The public-affairs office at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where he last served, said officers who knew Hayden were all saddened by the news Monday.
His list of accomplishments is long, and the Air Force said he had more than 2,500 flight hours in at least 30 types of aircraft. He made his mark as a test pilot in experimental aircraft, and he had been, before his retirement, a commander of the 56th Training Squadron at Luke.
Craig Hatch, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, arrived on the scene about noon Monday. He said it’s too early to say whether the snowy weather on Sunday was a factor in the crash.
Hatch said Hayden reported no problems over his radio before the crash.
Debris stretched across fields on both sides of Route 42. Power poles were also sheared off or otherwise damaged. Route 42 from Route 33 to the Delaware County line was closed until about 4 a.m. Monday for the investigation. The highway was shut off again in the afternoon for about two hours while investigators gathered evidence; it reopened about 3:30 p.m.
Hatch said he hoped to have all the wreckage cleared away Tuesday. He said the full investigation could take a year.
Story and video ➤ https://www.dispatch.com
Lt Col (retired) Matthew "Rip" Hayden
The Union County Sheriff's Office said Monday that 44-year-old Matthew Hayden, of Phoenix, died Sunday night when the Cessna 421B Golden Eagle II crashed off Route 42 near the border of Union and Delaware counties.
According to Luke Air Force Base, Hayden was a Lieutenant Colonel with the 56th Training Squadron.
Hayden's bio stated he was one of the most experienced F-35 pilots in the world, and has flown and instructed new pilots at Luke AFB since the inception of its program.
Hayden also made history as the first Luke AFB pilot to reach 500 flying hours in an F-35 Lightning II.
Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton says the former Air Force pilot took off from Dayton International Airport on Sunday evening and was headed to Delaware Municipal Airport in central Ohio when the plane crashed shortly before 6 p.m.
Patton says the plane was owned by Classic Solutions Company Inc., out of Bakersfield, California.
An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board says it's too early to determine what caused the crash.
Story and video ➤ https://www.abc15.com
UNION COUNTY, Ohio — Authorities say one person died when a small plane crashed into a farm field in Union County.
Chief Deputy Tom Morgan of the Union County Sheriff's Office said that the plane skidded across a road and hit a utility pole and lines after crashing Sunday. That caused a power outage in the village of Plain City, northwest of Columbus.
It was snowing and overcast at the time of the crash. The plane was identified as a Cessna 421C Golden Eagle. Chief Deputy Morgan said it was "totally destroyed."
The sheriff's office identified the deceased pilot as 44-year-old Matthew A. Hayden, of Phoenix, Arizona.
The cause of the crash is unknown. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are assisting in the investigation.
Story and video ➤ https://www.10tv.com
The crash left a debris field stretching 400 yards wide on either side of the roadway, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office.
"(The plane) is totally destroyed. Literally, hundreds of pieces everywhere," said Chief Deputy Tom Morgan. "When it crashed into the farm field, it continued across US-42 and struck utility poles and utility lines."
The crash shattered at least one pole and brought down wires, leading to widespread power outages. Morgan said that most Ohio Edison customers in Plain City were impacted. An outage map for Union Rural Electric Cooperative showed about 2,500 more customers without power in Jerome Township and Concord on Sunday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration joined the investigation Sunday night, which will aim to determine where the aircraft originated from and where it was headed.
During the time of the crash, Union County was swathed in a small but intense band of snowfall that made for whiteout conditions on local roadways at times. Morgan said further snowfall after the crash had hampered the early stages of the investigation, as debris quickly became covered with snow.
Only one witness is known to have heard the crash, according to Morgan. Any other witnesses are asked to call the Union County Sheriff's Office at (937) 645-4110.
Story and video ➤ https://myfox28columbus.com
MARYSVILLE, Ohio — One person was killed when a Cessna 421B Golden Eagle II swung low over rural Union County on Sunday, violently crashing into utility poles along Route US-42. The pilot has not yet been identified.
The crash left a debris field stretching 400 yards wide on either side of the roadway, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office.
"(The plane) is totally destroyed. Literally, hundreds of pieces everywhere," said Chief Deputy Tom Morgan. "When it crashed into the farm field, it continued across US-42 and struck utility poles and utility lines."
The collision shattered at least one pole and brought down wires, leading to widespread power outages. Morgan said that most Ohio Edison customers in Plain City were impacted. An outage map for Union Rural Electric Cooperative showed about 2,500 more customers without power in Jerome Township and Concord on Sunday evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration joined the investigation Sunday night, which will aim to determine where the aircraft originated from and where it was headed.
During the time of the crash, Union County was swathed in a small but intense band of snowfall that made for whiteout conditions on local roadways at times. Morgan said further snowfall after the crash had hampered the early stages of the investigation, as debris quickly became covered with snow.
Only one witness is known to have heard the crash, according to Morgan. Any other witnesses are asked to call the Union County Sheriff's Office at (937) 645-4110.
Story and video ➤ https://abc6onyourside.com
Delaware, Ohio - The Federal Aviation Administration and the Union County Sheriff's Office is investigating a deadly plane crash that happened near U.S. 42, yesterday.
According to the Union County Sheriff's Office, at about 5:42 pm, Sunday, dispatchers began receiving several 911 calls reporting a plane crash on U.S. 42, between Harriott and Bell roads.
When emergency crews arrived on scene, they found the crash site stretching approximately 400 to 500 yards.
A preliminary investigation has revealed the plane crashed in a farm field on the west side of U.S. 42 and continued across the roadway, striking several utility poles before coming to a rest in a farm field on the east side of U.S. 42.
Deputies say the Cessna 421B Golden Eagle II broke apart in several hundred pieces.
One person was pronounced dead from the crash, but their identity has not been confirmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration continues to investigate, but according to deputies the weather at the time of the crash was light snow with overcast skies.
Story and video ➤https://www.nbc4i.com
