Two, ages 19 and 18, seriously injured in Lancaster plane crash

LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) — The Lancaster Police Department and emergency crews have responded to a reported plane crash in Fairfield County. The LPD said that officers were notified of a plane crash Sunday night at 10:41 p.m. on Rainbow Drive, between Noland Drive and State Route 188, northeast of the city. Two adults were critically injured and hospitalized in Columbus. The Ohio State Highway Patrol also responded to the scene and is leading the investigation. According to the aircraft's flight log on Flightaware.com, the plane, a 1961 Cessna Skylane single engine 182D, was flying in from Martinsburg, West Virginia. It was part of a round-trip flight beginning and ending at the Fairfield County Airport. Flight records indicate the plane crashed approximately eight miles east from the airport and was last seen via radar at 10:40 p.m. Sunday, one hour and 53 minutes after takeoff in West Virginia. The Ohio State Highway Patrol later reported in a release that the aircraft was experiencing a mechanical issue and attempted an emergency landing as it was on its final approach towards the airport. The plane crashed into a tree and came to rest in the yard of a woman's home off of Rainbow Drive. The pilot and passenger, aged 19 and 18 respectively, were taken to a Columbus hospital with serious injuries, according to the OSHP. The aircraft's owner is based out of Lancaster, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Rainbow Drive is currently closed, and authorities ask motorists to avoid the area. The FAA will conduct its own investigation of the crash while the OSHP, Lancaster PD, Fairfield County Sheriff's Office and the Lancaster Fire Department & EMS all assisted at the crash scene.