Kristopher Cooper, 42 of Hamersville, crashed in Mount Orab on Aug. 4, 2016.
Kristopher Cooper, 42 of Hamersville, crashed in Mount Orab on Aug. 4, 2016.

By Wayne Gates
Managing editor

 

Two small planes crashed within three minutes of each other in Brown County on the evening of Aug. 4.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, both had refueled their airplanes and taken off from the Brown County airport and reported engine trouble before crashing.

The first crash happened at 8:04 p.m. when a 1973 Cessna piloted by Timothy Howser, 46 of Batavia crashed into a field near Fryer Road in Russellville. He reportedly was having engine trouble.

Timothy Howser, 46 of Batavia, crashed in Russellville on Aug. 4, 2016.

Howser was taken to Clermont Mercy Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Passenger Tony Howser, 44 of Highland Heights KY, wasn’t injured.

 

The second crash happened three minutes later when Kristopher Cooper, 42 of Hamersville, went down near Carpenter Road in Mount Orab. Cooper was the only occupant of the airplane and was not injured. He also reportedly had engine trouble.

Both pilots reported refueling before leaving the Brown County Airport, according to the OSHP.

The Federal Aviation Administration was on the scene Aug. 5 to investigate, according to FAA spokesperson Tony Molinario.

He said that investigating fuel sources and quality is standard procedure in a crash investigation where engine trouble is reported.

Molinario said that it would take a few weeks for a final determination of the reason for the two crashes, and that no other information would be available until the final report.

The highway patrol was assisted following both crashes by the Russellville Police and Fire Departments, Mount Orab Police and Fire Departments and the Brown County Emergency Management Agency.