WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren OhioPlane crash near Ohio home kills Akron man

Plane crash near Ohio home kills Akron man

UNIONTOWN, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say a small airplane hit a flagpole and crashed on the front lawn of a vacant home in Uniontown near Akron, killing the pilot.

Authorities say 45-year-old Michael Connell, of Akron, died in the crash. Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw says the crash sparked a fire that damaged the house's garage, but no one was inside the Uniontown home at the time.

Bradshaw says the plane was burned pretty extensively.

No one on the ground was injured. The plane did not have any passengers.

Airport spokeswoman Kristie VanAuken said Connell was attempting to land at Akron-Canton Airport about two miles from the house, before the crash. The Piper Saratoga went down in a residential area surrounded by farmland.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.