Officials confirm two deceased in airplane crash

Information has been released regarding a Wednesday airplane crash that killed two, who have been identified as Brian Stuart Ramsey, 69, and Keith Warren Ramsey, 65.

The plane, a Cessna 177, took off from a private runway, according to National Transportation Safety Board crash investigator Ryan Enders.

“It departed from a local airfield shortly before the accident, about seven nautical miles away. The accident site is in a cornfield northwest of that departing airfield. With me on scene, I was joined by the Federal Aviation Administration and representatives from the air frame and engine manufacturers. We are going to be evaluating the machine, the airplane itself, the environment, runways and all that type of stuff. We are also going to be investigating the occupants – their qualifications and their backgrounds.”

The press conference was held at Morrison Volunteer Fire Department.

“Our on-scene work will conclude today, and the airplane will go to a secured facility where we are going to continue an examination tomorrow. Currently, what I know is pretty limited. What I do know is that the airplane made contact with something when it was departing from that small airstrip. We do have a video and the damage on the airplane are consistent with ground contact.”

While Enders declined to reveal what the airplane struck, he said that impact caused “a piece of the plane to breakaway and land on the ground,” another detail he declined to divulge – what the item was that fell from the plane.

“A preliminary report will be released in about 30 days, and a final report will be released in about 18 months. We are asking for anyone with information about the accident, anyone who witnessed it, heard rumors, or anything along those lines, is asked to contact the NTSB’s witness email address: ntsb.gov”

Also helpful, said Enders, would be any home or business surveillance cameras or doorbell ring cameras that might have captured the plane during its flight.