An experienced pilot known for volunteering his aircraft to support disaster relief efforts was among three people killed when a small plane crashed in Ohio on Saturday, authorities have said. The single-engine 1959 Piper Comanche crashed into a field in Middlefield Township at about 15:30 local time, roughly one mile (1.6km) east of Geauga County Airport, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
State troopers identified the victims as Thomas A. Cunningham, 76, of Rome, Ohio; John W. Taipale, 71, of Geneva, Ohio; and Alexander C. Taipale, 40, also of Geneva.
Authorities have not said who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash. However, records from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that the aircraft was co-owned by Mr Cunningham. FAA certification records indicate he held a private pilot certificate issued in 2010, with ratings for single-engine aircraft and instrument flying.
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the aircraft completed two flights earlier in the day before the accident. The plane departed Geauga County Airport at 09:45 and flew to Indiana County Airport in Pennsylvania, arriving about an hour later.
It then left Pennsylvania at 12:12 and landed at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at 12:51. Flight-tracking data show the aircraft departed Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at 15:23 for its final journey. It travelled northwest towards Middlefield before tracking information ended at 15:34.
Cunningham had been flying since 1978. A report published by the Geauga County Maple Leaf in November 2024 said he had used his four-seat Piper Comanche to transport hundreds of pounds of relief supplies to communities affected by storms in North Carolina.
He was also a member of Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 5, where he volunteered to take young people on educational flights.
Andy Resnick of the Western Reserve Port Authority paid tribute to Mr Cunningham following the crash. “We were heartbroken to learn that Tom Cunningham, a beloved member of our extended YNG and Youngstown aviation family, was one of the three victims in today’s crash in Geauga County,” he said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the Cunningham and Taipale families.”
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.
No further details about what may have led to the accident have been released.