A Hawker 700, registered as N237WR, crashed one mile from the end of Runway 25 at Akron Fulton International Airport (KAKR) in Ohio yesterday after a flight from Dayton, Ohio. Nine people (two crew and seven passengers) are believed to have been on board the twinjet, an NTSB spokeman told AIN. All perished after the Hawker hit power lines, crashed into an unoccupied building, continued into an embankment and erupted into fire. No distress call was made before the aircraft went down, according to news reports.
According to FlightAware, the aircraft was being flown by Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based charter operator ExecuFlight as Flight 1526. Boca Raton, Fla.-based real estate developer Pebb Enterprises confirmed that seven of its people were on board—two principals and five employees. “Our hearts are broken this morning with the news of the tragic accident,” the company said in a statement.
The accident occurred at about 2:50 p.m. local time. A Metar issued less than five minutes after the accident reported wind 240 at 7 knots, visibility one-and-a-half miles, mist, ceiling 400 feet broken and 900 feet overcast. The Metar one hour earlier indicated visibility as two-and-a-half miles, mist and ceiling 800 feet overcast. According to the FAA aircraft registry, the aircraft was manufactured in 1979. ExecuFlight operates two GIIIs, two Hawker 700s, one Hawker 800 and one Westwind II, FAA records show. The company has held its charter certificate since 2004.
The NTSB sent a go-team this morning to investigate, with Jim Silliman as the investigator-in-charge and NTSB Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr accompanying.