Plane Crash Near Tri-State Airport In Wayne County – WTRF-TV – WTRF.com

KENOVA – According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the
plane was a twin-engine Piper PA-34 registered to Wesvin Inc. of
Wilmington, Delaware. The Piper PA-34 aircraft is configured to seat
six.

Tower controllers at Tri-State Airport in Wayne County tell the
National Weather Service they lost radar contact with the plane about
three miles southeast of Tri-State Airport. That is in the area of the
intersection of Route 75 and Plymale Branch Road near Lavelette.

Walter Stroud lives near the crash site. He was in his garage this
afternoon and heard the plane fly very low over his home. He went
outside and saw the plane bank hard for a turn before it hit a
high-voltage power line and burst into a fireball. Stroud says he lost
sight of the plane as it disappeared over the trees.

At the time the plane went down, the National Weather Service reports
wind out of the west at 5 mph, visibility was 2 miles with light snow
and the broken cloud deck was at 1000 feet. The temperature at the time
was 27 degrees.

Route 75 was closed for about an hour, but has now re-opened. Traffic
is moving slowly, however, drivers are blocked from Plymale Branch
Road.

Emergency crews were quick to respond. West Virginia State Police and
Wayne County Sheriffs deputies have secured the area. Volunteer
firefighters from Ceredo, Kenova, Lavalette and England Hill are also
on scene. Power crews are also there trying to deal with the downed
power lines. Workers from the West Virginia Division of Highways have
been working to clear Plymale Branch Road so crews can get to the crash
site.