SOUTHINGTON TWP. - A small plane crashed in Trumbull County in Southington Township at 12:43 p.m. Friday afternoon.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 82-year-old Richard Coles of Girard was the pilot of the fixed-wing single-engine aircraft that crashed near Herr Fieldhouse Road, east of Leiby Osborne Road.

 

  Scott Sabol

 

The Trumbull County OSHP and Champion Fire Department responded to the scene, close to the Warren Skeets Airport. 

"We were able to use the jaws of life and extricate the patient and ended up transferring him to the LZ and then he was life-flighted," said Thomas Dempsey, Champion Fire Chief. 

The pilot was the only person aboard the plane when it went down. The single-engine aircraft crashed on a single-family home property off Herr Fieldhouse Road. Miraculously, the plane missed hitting the home, trees, and power lines. 

According to the OSHP, after taking off from the Warren Skeets Airport from Skeets Field, the plane experienced engine trouble. As the pilot attempted to return to the airport, the plane clipped some trees and spun around. 

"He's a decent pilot from what I know but the plane's new," said Scott Sabol, a resident of Southington. "It's only been here maybe a month or so, it's not one I recognize because I watch them all."

The owner of the home told 21 News off camera he was about to work on picking up his leaves in his front yard but instead decided to run to the store. He came home to find the crash in his front yard. Neighbors told our news team it was a "scary but rare" situation to see.

The FAA is also conducting an independent investigation into the crash. As of Friday evening, Coles' condition is unknown.