4 dead as private plane crashes in U.S.June 22, 2013 - 09:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A pilot and three passengers on a private plane died Friday, June 21, soon after taking off from an airport about 30 miles northwest of Detroit, officials said, according to USA Today. A person on the plane "requested permission to turn around and land, so that would indicate something was wrong," said J. David VanderVeen, Oakland County central services director. "You don't request permission to return if everything is going well." The names of the victims, three men and one woman, will not be released until family members have been notified, officials said. "It's a very sad day for the airport," said VanderVeen, who previously managed the airport for 25 years. The pilot took off from a runway designed for smaller planes and reached an altitude of about 100 feet before requesting permission to return. The Cessna 172 crashed at about 1:40 pm ET in a field. Three people on board were killed instantly. The fourth died later at an area hospital. The last crash at Oakland County International Airport was in 2006 when a flight instructor and his student were killed in a single-engine plane belonging to a flight school. Since then, officials have had 1.1 million plane flights with no incidents, VanderVeen said. "It's a successful, safe airport," the second busiest airport in Michigan behind Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, Mich, he said.The Oakland County airport handles private and corporate flights. Federal Aviation Administration investigators were en route to the airport and National Transportation and Safety Board investigators are expected to arrive Saturday. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Turkey condemns Uruguay’s recognition of Armenian Genocide Turkey has condemned a newly passed law in Uruguay that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, TRT reports. For the first time, Armenia votes in favor of Georgia resolution in UN Armenia on Tuesday, June 4 voted for the first time in favor a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Moscow warns Armenia against leaving Russian-led defense bloc Armenia could ruin its military ties with Russia if it continues drifting towards the West, according to a senior official in Moscow. Moscow says ready to support Yerevan-Baku reconciliation Moscow has confirmed its readiness to support the reconciliation of Yerevan and Baku. |