Ebensburg plane crash victims positively identified through DNA
Jul. 10—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Through DNA testing, the Cambria County coroner has positively identified the two men killed in a June 18 plane crash in Ebensburg.
Pilot Mark V. LaMantia and passenger Donald R. Cox, both 54 and from the Ebensburg area, were lifelong friends and planned to fly from the Ebensburg Airport to Ocean City, Maryland, on June 18, according to Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees.
For reasons still under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, the four-seat plane crashed in a densely wooded area just two miles south of the Ebensburg Airport.
Lees, who has been in touch with the families, said LaMantia and Cox had frequently taken the plane to Ocean City, where they enjoyed riding bicycles.
A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board said LaMantia possessed a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single engine, airplane multi-engine and instrument airplane privileges. He reported 1,268 hours of total flight experience as of his latest FAA Class 3 medical certificate application, dated May 24.
It could be a year before the NTSB issues a final report with a determination of the cause for the crash, Lees said.
According to the preliminary report, the airplane taxied from the ramp at 5 a.m. and departed from the runway at 5:04 a.m. for a flight to Ocean City Municipal Airport.
Lees said a spouse of one of the men alerted police to investigate when she could not contact them at the time of their scheduled arrival.
He said confirming the identities of the men through DNA testing involved a painstaking time frame, especially for the family.
"We have to do our job and I promised both families on day one they would get their loved ones back, and they have," he said.
Initial Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data indicated that the airplane was in a left turn after takeoff and gradually climbed to an altitude of about 3,600 feet above sea level — the elevation at the airport was 2,099 feet above sea level, the report said.
The airplane continued in the left turn for more than 360 degrees until the last ADS-B target was observed at a south-southeasterly heading, the report said.
Lees has ruled the manner of death accidental, and he said they died on impact.
The wreckage debris field was about 375 feet in length and about 120 feet wide, according to the preliminary NTSB report.
"The wreckage was highly fragmented, with several areas of post-accident fire. All structural components of the aircraft were located within the confines of the wreckage debris field," according to the report.
The plane crashed on private property that was densely forested and required ATVs for passage, Lees said. He said the property owner was very cooperative in allowing access to first responders over the three days they collected remains from the crash.
Check back for additional information on this developing story.
