Ohio: Pilot, Passenger Dead After Small Plane Crashes in Marietta Auto Dealership Lot

Two people died when a small plane crashed into a car dealership lot in southeastern Ohio Tuesday morning.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the plane crash in Marietta happened at around 7:15 a.m. NBC News reported that the city of about 13,000 people is near West Virginia's border.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol noted that no one on the ground was hurt, but it damaged some vehicles at the Buick GMC dealership.

The highway patrol said the pilot and an occupant of the small plane were killed. They were Timothy F. Gifford, 49, of Orient, Ohio, and Eric S. Seevers, 45, of Parkersburg, West Virginia. However, it was not reported who the pilot was.

Plane Crash in Ohio Was Caught on Video

A surveillance video from a nearby business caught the plane crash in Marietta in Washington County, Ohio. According to NBC4, an aviation expert said the video can help in determining what led to the fatal crash.

In the video, the plane crashed into the ground, then burst into flames. Reports said the plane took off from John Glenn International in Columbus.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a twin-engine Beechcraft BE9L, a small plane that can hold up to 10 people. A John Glenn International Airport representative said the flight departed from the airport's runways at 6:39 a.m.

According to a RadarBox flight record, the plane was heading to West Virginia's Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in Parkersburg when the plane crashed around 30 minutes after taking off.

The glow on the plane as it descends and the smoke trail suggests the plane may have been on fire in the air, said Dr. Shawn Pruchnicki, a former plane accident investigator and current professor at Ohio State University's Center for Aviation Studies. He noted that the plane's angle showed that it was not in control.

"There are several reasons why an airplane might do something like this, and all of those will have to be examined, right?" Pruchnicki said.

"Aircraft malfunction, pilot incapacitation. The fact that the aircraft was on fire prior to impact can also lead down a certain path on why the airplane might have eventually become out of control," he added.

Aside from the video, Pruchnicki said investigators will also have to listen to the pilot's conversations with air traffic control.

Ohio Plane Crash Is Still Under Investigation

After the crash, the FAA told CBS News that Eric S. Seevers and Timothy F. Gifford were the only people on board the small plane.

The cause of the accident will be investigated by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board, which is in charge of the ongoing investigation and will be responsible for giving updates in the future.

Marietta Police and local firefighters were the first to respond to the accident. The police department told CBS News that the cars on the ground were severely damaged, and the fire was put out about two hours after the crash was first reported.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: New Video Sheds Light on Fatal Plane Crash in Marietta, Ohio - From NBC4 Columbus