Convair 580 crashes in golf course, first officer killed, captain survives

A Convair 580 cargo aircraft operated by Air Tahoma out of Columbus (OH) under contract to DHL crashed early Friday morning into a golf course a short distance from Cincinatti/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

NTSB inspectors were on the scene on Florence (KY). The crash killed the first officer, but the pilot was found by emergency personnel outside the aircraft, sitting on a bench. His injuries were not life threatening, and he was able to walk on his own. He was airlifted later in the morning to University Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. The first officer's body was found after daybreak. Both of the crewmembers are from the Memphis (TN) area.

The Convair 580, a turboprop cargo aircraft whose design dates from the 1950's, was inbound to Cincinatti from Memphis when at approximately 0100 it crashed on the sixth holw of the World of Sports golf course. The site of the crash is located about half a mile from the Cincinatti airport. The aircraft broke into several pieces.

Both crewmembers are employes of Air Tahoma, and no DHL employees were involved in the crash. There were also no pax on the aircraft, just cargo.

FMI: www.airtahoma.com, www.dhl.com