HARRISON, Ohio -- A light aircraft crashed near Harrison High School Friday night, killing two people on board.
The Harrison Police Chief has confirmed that both occupants of the single engine bi-plane died. The pilot has been identified as Raymond Robben, 47, of Guilford, Indiana. The passenger in the plane has been identified as Belinda Roy, 52, of Lawrenceburg.
It happened around 8 p.m. Friday night in the 9800 block of West Road in Harrison, Ohio.
A witness says the small plane took off from a local airport there, but began "wobbling" and appeared to try to turn around – but took a nose-dive instead into a gravel pit across the street behind the high school gymnasium.
"Just at the off end of the runway, it lost power or it lost lift," said Sgt. Clint Arnold, of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "The airplane made a sharp, left turn and went down diretcly into an embankment."
Witnesses say there was no fire or explosion, just a loud noise as the plane crashed.
This happened while a crowd watched a football scrimmage between Harrison and McNicholas high schools just a few hundred yards away. No one at the scrimmage was hurt.
A McNicholas High School student captured still images of the plane's tragic descent.
Harrison police and fire departments and Hamilton County sheriff's deputies are still on the scene, along with the Hamilton County coroner. Cincinnati police officers are also involved in the accident investigation.
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