Two people dead following plane crash in Madison County

Sheridan Hendrix, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
A single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk airplane lies upside in a field Tuesday night after crashing about 6:20 p.m. in a field near the landing approach to the single runway at Madison County Airport. A Columbus man sitting in the pilot's seat, and another man in the co-pilot's seat in the four-seat aircraft were killed, authorities said.
A single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk airplane lies upside in a field Tuesday night after crashing about 6:20 p.m. in a field near the landing approach to the single runway at Madison County Airport. A Columbus man sitting in the pilot's seat, and another man in the co-pilot's seat in the four-seat aircraft were killed, authorities said.

Two men died early Tuesday evening in a small plane crash near the Madison County Airport, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Athar Mohammad Ashraf, 43, of Columbus, and Malik Aftab Naseem, 60, of Jasper, Alabama, both died at the scene, authorities said Wednesday morning after notifying both families.

More: Columbus hotelier was learning to fly during fatal Madison County plane crash

Naseem is the owner and chief pilot of Ameri Flight School, which is a registered business in Houston, Texas. According to the company's website, Naseem served as a captain with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary and started his aviation career with the Army as a Cchinook CH-47 helicopter crew chief.

Naseem also "developed a proprietary fast track flight training program" to help aspiring aviators safely get their licenses in the least amount of time, according to the company's website.

The cause of the crash, which occurred about 6:20 p.m. in a field near the nd of the Madison County Airport's single asphalt runway, was not immediately known, the OSHP said. Troopers are expected to be involved in the investigation along with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The airport is located off U.S. 40 three miles north of downtown London and about 30 miles west of Columbus.

Madison County Airport is located three miles north of downtown London off U.S. 40 and about 30 miles west of Columbus.
Madison County Airport is located three miles north of downtown London off U.S. 40 and about 30 miles west of Columbus.

The single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk plane took off at 5:05 p.m. from Madison County Airport and circled around the area for 73 minutes before crashing, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Authorities at the scene said the plane crashed before it reached the runway in a landing attempt, clipped one of its wings and flipped over in a field.

On its final, fatal flight, the Cessna reached 138 mph and an altitude of 2,400 feet from takeoff, according to FlightAware flight tracking information. The plane only surpassed that speed 34 minutes in, reaching a peak speed of 142 mph. The aircraft reached a top altitude of 2,800 feet 53 minutes into the flight, FlightAware data show, and began descending from 2,700 feet 65 minutes into the flight before eventually crashing.

An undated flight photo of the single-engine, four-seat Cessna 172 Skyhawk plane registered to American Flight Line Corp. of Jasper, Alabama. Two people were killed Tuesday evening when the plane crashed near Madison County Airport, where it had taken off and was flying circles around the area for 73 minutes before crashing around 6:20 p.m.
An undated flight photo of the single-engine, four-seat Cessna 172 Skyhawk plane registered to American Flight Line Corp. of Jasper, Alabama. Two people were killed Tuesday evening when the plane crashed near Madison County Airport, where it had taken off and was flying circles around the area for 73 minutes before crashing around 6:20 p.m.

The Cessna had previously been flown on Thursday and Friday from Madison County Airport, but for only 11 minutes and nine minutes, respectively, flight activitiy records on FlightAware show.

The 1977 Cessna has been owned by American Flight Line, a Jasper, Alabama corporation, since April 2011, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

A Dispatch check with the Alabama Secretary of State's Business Registry found no record of American Flight Line registered with the state.

The airport was closed until at least Wednesday morning.

The Dispatch will update this story as more information becomes available. Come back to Dispatch.com for updates.

Madison County Airport in London, Ohio
Madison County Airport in London, Ohio

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Two people dead following plane crash in Madison County