A 65-year-old Ohio man made a turnaround and a stop at the Clarion County Airport shortly before his plane crashed a few miles outside Grove City last week, according to flight records.
Rick Briggs, 65, of Cuyahoga Falls died as a result of blunt force trauma as a result of the crash, which happened around 5:40 p.m. on Nov. 24., according to Mercer County Coroner John Libonati.
Briggs’s passenger, 55-year-old Keith Vanover of Parma, Ohio, was transported from the scene but died Saturday at a Pittsburgh hospital of thermal burns and inhalation suffered in the crash, according to the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.
“Preliminary information suggests that the plane being flown by Mr. Briggs was experiencing significant mechanical problems prior to the crash and that efforts were being made to land safely prior to the accident,” Libonati said in a release.
According to preliminary information released by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna T210R lost oil pressure and engine function prior to crashing in a wooded area near the TCI landfill in Pine Township, a few miles outside Grove City.
According to flight records, Briggs was scheduled for a non-stop return trip from Westchester County, N.Y., north of New York City, to Akron, Ohio. Briggs had flown the same trip Wednesday in the opposite direction.
On the return trip, Briggs left New York just before 2:15 p.m. Shortly after 5 p.m., flight records indicate he passed the Clarion County Airport before turning around, backtracking roughly 10 miles and landing.
About 15 minutes later, Briggs took off headed for Akron. Nineteen minutes later, the plane crashed.
Libonati said the FAA will make a definitive ruling on the cause of the crash following its investigation.
