Remains of student pilot and instructor found after plane crashes in Ohio County, Kentucky

Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press
Updated ·2 min read

EVANSVILLE — A nearly 12-hour search for a missing plane ended Thursday morning when investigators announced they had located the bodies of a student pilot and an instructor among a debris field in rural Ohio County, Kentucky.

Investigators announced the conclusion of the main search effort Thursday morning after a drone located wreckage from the missing Piper PA-28 aircraft.

Air traffic controllers at Evansville Regional Aiport first alerted Kentucky authorities to a possible plane crash around 10:55 p.m. Wednesday, according to Ohio County Sheriff Adam Wright.

Wright said the student pilot and instructor were en route to Ownesboro from Bowling Green when they lost radio contact with flight controllers.

They were identified as Timothy McKellar, Jr., a 22-year-old pilot from Custer, Kentucky, and 18-year-old Connor Quisenberry of Beaver Dam, a flight student.

Jennifer Gabris, a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, told the Courier & Press that agency personnel were expected to arrive in Ohio County on Friday to begin a formal investigation.

"Once on scene, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft," Gabris said. "The preliminary report is expected to publish between 15-30 days after the accident."

An example of the Piper PA-28 single-engine aircraft, as seen parked on the tarmac at Gloucestershire Airport in England.
An example of the Piper PA-28 single-engine aircraft, as seen parked on the tarmac at Gloucestershire Airport in England.

In a news release, Wright said searchers used the aircraft's reported flight path and data obtained from the pilot's cell phone carrier and other sources to trace the possible crash site to an area near New Panther Creek Church, which is located in the 8600 block of KY 764.

Shortly after personnel began searching there, Write said they located paperwork associated with the Piper PA-28 and later discovered the downed aircraft behind New Panther Creek Church.

The plane's initial disappearance came after severe storms blanketed the region Wednesday evening. Law enforcement had not publicly identified any suspected cause for the plane's downing as of Thursday morning.

According to public photographs, Eagle Flight Academy operates Piper aircraft from Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Aiport. A representative for the flight school did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gabris said the NTSB will request radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot's medical records as part of its investigation.

She identified the downed aircraft as a Piper PA-28-161: a four-seat, single-engine plane that first entered the civilian market in the 1960s.

While the NTSB typically requires about one month to publish a preliminary crash report, the formal investigation could take between one and two years to complete.

"At this early stage of an investigation, NTSB does not state a cause but will provide factual information when available," Grabis said.

This story was updated Thursday evening to include comments from NTSB spokeswoman Jennifer Gabris.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Searches find remains of student pilot and instructor after crash