Debris Impacts Apartment Complex

Investigators attempted to determine Monday why a Piper PA-24 Comanche went down Sunday night in an Ohio field, within one mile of the Bucyrus-Crawford Country Airport (17G) 60 miles north of Columbus. A family of four on their way to Maine was killed.

Residents of a nearby apartment complex said they heard the plane's engine sputtering before the crash. Debris struck the complex, causing minimal damage and no injuries on the ground.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said there was no sign of a distress call before the crash, which occured at 7:10 pm local time. Authorities say light rain was falling at the time of the accident.

According to the FAA Preliminary Report that follows this article, conditions at nearby Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, located 20 nautical miles to the east, showed an overcast ceiling of 2,600 feet -- about 1,500 feet higher than terrain near 17G -- at the time of the accident.

Authorities identified the four victims onboard as a Texas family. Paul and Lillian Martin and their two children had recently visited relatives in Oklahoma, and were flying to Maine.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 9073P        Make/Model: PA24      Description: PA-24 Comanche
  Date: 12/17/2006     Time: 0010

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: BUCYRUS   State: OH   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES AND STRUCK AN APARTMENT COMPLEX I
  MILE EAST OF THE AIRPORT, THE FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED,
  BUCYRUS, OH

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   4
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   3     Fat:   3     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KMFD 24007KT OVC026 13/08 A3009

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: CLEVELAND, OH  (GL25)                 Entry date: 12/18/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov