1. Crashed en route to Urbana airport
According to reports, David Maxwell and his wife, Vicki Maxwell, were flying their Beechcraft 35-A33 Debonair aircraft from Venice Municipal Airport in Venice, Fla., on Jan. 30 to Grimes Field in Urbana. The couple’s daughter, Erin Patton, said the plane’s engine failed as they were flying over Tennessee and crashed near the city of Helenwood.
Patton contacted authorities on Jan. 30 out of concern when her parents’ plane didn’t arrive. Officials began a search for the plane at midnight on Jan. 31. The wreckage was found at 8 a.m. Jan. 31, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac.
2. Wife killed in crash, husband seriously injured
Patton said both her parents were seriously injured following the crash and unable to reach their phones to contact help. Vicki Maxwell died at the scene. David Maxwell was taken to the Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and placed in ICU, where he is currently in stable condition.
A dog that had been traveling with the couple survived with no injuries.
3. Cause of crash unknown, NTSB investigating
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating to see what caused the accident. According to reports, no severe weather occurred in the area of the crash between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Patton said her father did everything he could to try to prevent the accident, including sending out a signal to Scott County Airport, which is two miles from the site of the crash. He was attempting to land the plane safely when it went down, she said. Her father told Patton that the plane experienced engine failure, she said.
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