OHP Confirms Two Fatalities In Collinsville Plane Crash

By Dan Bewley and NewsOn6.com

TULSA COUNTY -- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has confirmed that there are two fatalities in a small, private plane crash near Collinsville. The plane came down near the 12600 block of North 75th East Avenue at about 10 a.m. Saturday.

Officials on the scene said the plane took off from Airman Acres, a private landing strip, then had engine problems. Witnesses said that they heard the plane's engines quit.

"It appeared that the pilot banked around to the east as if to loop back around to land the plane," said Lt. George Brown, Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

But Lt. Brown says the plane couldn't make the turn and instead made straight for a field next to the airstrip.

"That's when the plane went wing first into the field, striking the ground and flipping around. The cockpit did catch fire," said Lt. Brown.

The names of the victims, a man and woman, have not been released pending notification of relatives, but The News On 6 has learned the plane is registered to a Broken Arrow man. OHP says the man and woman inside the plane died instantly.

The airplane is an RV-4, single engine, experimental aircraft built in 1998. The NTSB and FAA have been contacted and will be conducting the investigation. In most cases it can take up to a year before a final cause is determined.

This tragedy isn't the first to strike Airman Acres. In 2008, Harvey Hazelwood and Larry Jackson died when a plane crashed at the airstrip. An NTSB report couldn't determine who was flying the plane, but says prescription drugs and over the counter allergy medication could have caused either man to become distracted during the flight, causing the crash.

3/3/2010  Related Story: NTSB: Prescription Drugs May Have Contributed to Fatal Plane Crash

Airman Acres is a private airfield. The owner told The News On 6, he didn't know much about Saturday's crash.

Keep checking this story for more information as updates are available.