WOOD COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - A plane crash has left one dead in Wood County on Thursday.
The Wood County Sheriff's Department identified the victim as pilot Gary Conklin. Conklin is a local farmer.
The single engine plane crashed just before noon in a bean field at the corner of Kramer and Hoffman Roads in Center Township.
The Sheriff's Department says there was no flight plan because Conklin took off from his own private airstrip.
Justin Hindley watched the plane plunge from the sky.
"Big bank. I almost thought it was like he was doing a stunt. It was a tighter bank than what you normally see a small seater like that do," Hindley said.
Hindley recalls the plane appeared to pick up speed as it went straight toward the ground. There was no fire or explosion.
"Plane was banking," Hindley said. "Went around one circle. Came over and just nose-dived into the ground."
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
