SCIOTO COUNTY, Ohio — A Delaware, Ohio man was killed Thursday morning when the small aircraft he was piloting crashed into a residence near the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Emergency crews were dispatched at approximately 10:46 a.m. after reports of a plane crash on the south side of Bennett School House Road in Harrison Township. Deputies from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from the Portsmouth Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to the scene.
A preliminary investigation determined that a 2006 Cirrus SR-20 single-engine aircraft, piloted by 76-year-old Kurt W. Paulus of Delaware, had just departed from the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport when the crash occurred.
According to investigators, the aircraft was in its initial climb after takeoff and gaining altitude when it crashed into a residence along Bennett School House Road. Authorities said the flight’s intended destination was Delaware, Ohio.
Paulus was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two people were inside the home at the time of the crash but escaped without injury. However, the residence caught fire following the impact and sustained extensive damage, ultimately being declared a total loss.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and will conduct independent investigations into the cause of the crash.
Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Minford Fire Department and EMS, the Columbus Division of Police, Scioto County Emergency Management Agency, the FAA, the NTSB, and The Salvation Army.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
