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Prominent GOP consultant dies in fiery explosion near airport
By Jewell Cardwell,
John Higgins and David Knox
Beacon Journal staff writers
Published on Saturday, Dec 20, 2008
LAKE TWP.: A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot.
Michael Connell, 45, of Bath Township, was alone in the plane, according to State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Sheppard.
Connell was a prominent Republican political consultant. He founded New Media Communications in Richfield, which developed campaign Web sites for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and President George W. Bush.
The plane was attempting to land around 6 p.m. Friday at Akron-Canton Airport when it crashed about three miles short of the runway.
Taylor Fano, who lives two doors away from the crash site on Charolais, said she heard the crash.
''It blew up and shook the ground a little bit,'' Fano said. ''I was standing in the kitchen and I looked out the window and all I saw was fire.''
Fano said the plane came down in the front yard at 2017 Charolais, then skidded along the side of the house.
The plane came down between two houses, separated by about 100 feet, in the upscale neighborhood. Neighbors said one of the homes was unoccupied, while the other was lighted with holiday decorations.
They said wreckage from the plane could be seen sticking up from the ground.
''It took out the flagpole and the cement blocks surrounding the flagpole like a little planter,'' Fano said. ''It skidded across the driveway and right in between a line of pine trees and a small fence around an in-ground pool.''
Neighbor Julie Hufstetler, who lives across the street from the crash site, said she was getting ready for a party at their home when she heard the explosion.
''It was kind of a swish and a boom,'' she said.
When she looked outside, she saw flames billowing from the garage.
Greentown Fire Department Capt. Lorin Geiser said he arrived within three minutes of getting several 911 calls about a plane down.
Geiser said the crumbled fuselage from the plane was fully engulfed. It took less than five minutes to extinguish the flames.
The burning debris apparently set fire to the side of the garage of the unoccupied home.
There was no interior damage to the house.
Several neighbors, bundled up against the frigid temperature, were walking around taking pictures with their cell-phone cameras.
The plane was on final approach to Akron-Canton Airport's Runway 23 when it went down, said Kristie Van Auken, spokeswoman for the airport.
Van Auken identified the plane as a Piper Saratoga, a single-engine propeller craft capable of carrying up to seven passengers.
The plane, which was made in 1997, is owned by a Richfield corporation, Sierra-November Aviation, at 3046 Brecksville Road, according to the Federal Aviation Administration registry.
FlightAware, a Web site that tracks flight plans, reported that the plane was coming from College Park, Md., departing at 3:31 p.m. and scheduled to arrive at Akron-Canton at 5:43 p.m.
The plane had flown from Akron to College Park Thursday morning.
Van Auken didn't think the plane was based at the Akron-Canton Airport, but added, ''We can't verify that at this time.''
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were expected at the crash site Friday night. An FAA spokeswoman said investigations typically take weeks and even months or longer to complete.
In addition to the Greentown Fire Department, others responding included firefighters from Hartville, Uniontown, Plain Township and North Canton.
Van Auken said several members of the airport operations staff were also at the crash scene.
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.
LAKE TWP.: A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 04:28 AM, 12/20/2008
Flashback:
"Witness Protection (from Karl Rove) for GOP IT Guru"
Michael Connell
http://adap2k.blogspot.com/2008/08/witness-protection-after-rove-threats.html
Akron, OH
Posted 07:29 AM, 12/20/2008
May he rest in peace.
Posted 09:01 AM, 12/20/2008
A loss for his family and friends, no doubt, especially at this time of year. His untimely death is troubling since a federal judge last month ordered him to testify in an Ohio election suit.
Posted 10:26 AM, 12/20/2008
Mr. Connell was a devout family man with 4 young children. He devoted many hours helping those in need including missions to El Salvador to help the needy. May he rest in peace.
Posted 10:57 AM, 12/20/2008
Mr. Connell was not only everything Jon stated, but so much more. He was one of the sincerest, most caring people I have ever met. He and his family gave more than anyone I have ever met. He will be missed.
akron, oh
Posted 12:05 PM, 12/20/2008
If I was a conspiracy theorist,which I am this would only verify what we all intuitively know.
http://adap2k.blogspot.com/2008/08/witness-protection-after-rove-threats.html
Posted 04:05 PM, 12/20/2008
I am so glad that no one in the neighborhood was hurt or killed. I live near a small air field which has had its share of fatalities when the weather is like it was yesterday. I also have within my family several private pilots. It is sheer stupidity to fly small airplanes in bad weather. Now there is a family greaving.
Posted 07:28 PM, 12/20/2008
mike... you're so completely "full of it". ... it was freezing rain alllllll morning, afternoon and evening that day in northeast ohio! .... i'm sure it built up on the wings, etc.
Posted 07:53 PM, 12/20/2008
i'm talkin' "ice storm" ... ever hear of that, mike?
