AUGLAIZE COUNTY — The Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a single-aircraft injury crash that occurred Friday, April 11, at approximately 1:30 p.m. in a rural section of Auglaize County.
According to troopers, the crash occurred in the area of Southland Road, west of State Route 29, when a 2005 Beechcraft A36 single-propeller aircraft experienced engine failure in flight.
The plane, piloted by Eugene A. Will, 75, of Minster, Ohio, was en route from the Auglaize County Neil Armstrong Airport in New Knoxville, Ohio, to Lewis University Airport in Romeoville, Illinois, when the mechanical issue prompted an emergency landing in an agricultural field.
Will was uninjured in the incident. His passenger, 74-year-old Betty J. Will, also of Minster, sustained injuries during the emergency landing and was transported to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital by Saint Marys EMS.
Responding agencies included the New Knoxville Police and Fire Departments, the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office, the Auglaize County Emergency Management Agency, the county’s Community Emergency Response Team and Saint Marys EMS.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has indicated that alcohol and drugs are not suspected as contributing factors. The crash remains under investigation.