Five employees of an Arkansas environmental center perished in the aftermath of an explosion at an Ohio metal mill.
Wednesday, five workers of The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health perished in an aircraft accident shortly after takeoff from Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The environmental workers were headed to Bedford, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to respond to the explosion at the I Schumann & Co. paint and metal business.
Officials in Little Rock, Arkansas, are investigating the cause of a deadly plane crash after a twin-engine plane slammed into the ground on Wednesday killing all five people on board. pic.twitter.com/dmwQbwQSOi
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 23, 2023
According to The Washington Post, their twin-engine turboprop jet crashed a mile from the airport, near a 3M industrial site.
According to initial reports, there were no survivors in the accident.
Here's what we know so far on the plane crash: A statement from the FAA confirmed the twin-engine Beech BE20 had five people on board and was heading to Columbus, Ohio. It crashed around noon after leaving Clinton National in Little Rock. PCSO says there are no survivors. #ARnews
— Caitrin Assaf (@caitrinassaf) February 22, 2023
The victims have not been identified officially.
The plane that crashed near Clinton National Airport today carried five employees from The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH), the company confirms to @KATVNews. All five perished in the crash. They were en route to Columbus, Ohio.
— Chris May (@KATVChrisMay) February 22, 2023
According to the Post, all five passengers, including the pilot, were CTEH workers. In a statement, a CTEH executive lamented the loss of his colleagues.
“We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues,” senior vice president Dr. Paul Nony said in a statement provided to The Daily Wire.
“We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.”
The airport recorded strong wind gusts around the time of the disaster.
The plane crash at the Little Rock airport occurred with a line of showers that were moving quickly east with strong winds out of the west northwest. At the time of the crash (12:02 PM), Adams Field recorded a wind gust of 46 MPH.
NTSB investigators will determine cause. #arwx pic.twitter.com/SYO2rMs4lu
— James Bryant (@KATVJames) February 22, 2023
The explosion at the Bedford facility resulted in the death of one employee and the hospitalization of twelve others, according to The New York Times.
As a result of the explosion, which undoubtedly had environmental repercussions, thick smoke billowed into the air.
Little Rock’s KARK-TV reports that the National Transportation Safety Board will launch an inquiry after the plane disaster.
A preliminary result is due within 15 days, stated the station.