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Two killed in early-morning plane crash at Yeager Airport

By GUISEPPE SABELLA

Charleston Gazette-Mail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two people died Friday morning after their cargo plane crashed at Yeager Airport shortly before 7 a.m.

The plane — owned by Milwaukee-based Air Cargo Carriers and operated by UPS – landed on Runway Five at the airport, veered left and crashed into a wooded area over a hill, said Mike Plante, a spokesman for the airport.

Yeager Airport officials walk by part of a wing from a cargo plane that crashed at Yeager Airport Friday morning, killing the two people aboard.
(Photo by Kenny Kemp)

There were only two people on board, Plante said. Their deaths were confirmed by Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper.

The plane took off from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky, around 5:40 a.m. and arrived at Yeager around 6:53 a.m., Plante said. According to the flight-tracking website flightaware.com, the plane was supposed to take off at 3:40 a.m., but was delayed for two hours.

The plane that crashed was a Short 330, which is a high-wing twin-engine turbo-prop cargo aircraft, Plante said.

The plane can hold 15 to 30 people, Plante said. It makes regular runs between Charleston and Louisville, he said.

Representatives of Air Cargo Carriers said Friday morning they were aware of the crash but could not confirm the status of the crew.

A spokesman for UPS said the company was aware of the crash, which involved a “small feeder aircraft carrying UPS packages,” but did not have additional information about the carrier or condition of the plane or crew.

“As we attempt to learn more about the situation, we are keeping the crew … in our heartfelt thoughts,” Jim Mayer, a public relations manager for UPS Airlines, said in an email.

The airport was closed until further notice. Several flights scheduled to arrive or depart Yeager later in the day were canceled.

 

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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