Plane crashes into front yard of rural Ohio home; 2 dead
By Associated Press
Jan 21, 2019 2:56 PM CST
Plane crashes into front yard of rural Ohio home; 2 dead
Lt. Stephanie Norman, commander of the Wooster Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, near the scene of a deadly plane crash near Kidron in Wayne County, Ohio, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (Mike Schenk/The Daily Record via AP)   (Associated Press)

APPLE CREEK, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say two pilots are dead after a plane crashed into the snow-covered front yard of a rural Ohio home shortly after taking off from a private airfield nearby.

The State Highway Patrol says initial reports indicate the plane had engine trouble Monday morning after departing Stoltzfus Airfield in Wayne County, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Cleveland. It hit trees and took down power lines, and the front of the aircraft was destroyed.

Troopers say 55-year-old pilot Brian Stoltzfus and 56-year-old co-pilot Curtis Wilkerson died at the scene. Both were from nearby Apple Creek. No one else was hurt.

The crash shook but just missed Michael Morrison's home. Morrison tells The Daily Record in Wooster he ran outside, spotted the wreckage in the yard and immediately called 911.

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