Two killed as 10-seat plane crashes into Ohio car dealership

The pilot and the sole passenger aboard the twin-engine plane were killed

A 10-seat commuter plane crashed in Ohio, killing two people.

The small aircraft, a 1974 Beechcraft King Air E90, crashed into a car dealership in Marietta, a city in southeastern Ohio. Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the victims as 45-year-old pilot Eric Seevers and 49-year-old Timothy Gifford, the sole passenger in the twin-engine plane, NBC affiliate WTAP reported.

The Parkersburg, Virginia-bound plane crashed into the Pioneer Buick GMA dealership on Pine Street shortly after taking off at 7am EDT from Columbus, according to a statement issued by Ohio State Highway Patrol. No one on the ground was hurt.

Video recorded by motorists driving by Pine Street also showed plumes of smoke.

Several vehicles and the dealership building were damaged in the accident, per WTAP. State Route 7 was briefly closed but it reopened around 9am EDT.

Officials with the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in Wood County told the outlet the plane was heading there at the time of the accident.

The aircraft had departed from John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Ohio State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Nathan Dennis told the outlet.

In their statement, Ohio State Highway Patrol said “the crash remains under investigation at this time.”