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Southeastern Indiana Plane Crash Victims Identified

Last updated on Thursday, December 21, 2017

(OLDENBURG) - Authorities have identified three suburban Washington, D.C., residents as the victims who died in a small plane crash in southeastern Indiana.

Indiana State Police say 63-year-old pilot Louis Cantilena and his daughter, 31-year-old Amy Cantilena, both of Potomac, Maryland, and 65-year-old Paul Schuda of Arlington, Virginia died in the crash Saturday night in a wooded area near Oldenburg in Franklin County.

The plane crashed at approximately 9:10 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area in the 5000 block of North Hamburg Road.

The Indiana State Police were notified when reports came in that an aircraft had crashed and that the plane possibly caught fire after crashing. Cincinnati Air Traffic Control reported that a plane that was being tracked disappeared from RADAR in the area where the crash was reported. Officers arrived on scene and located the fire from the wreckage in a heavily wooded area behind a residence.

Fire personnel were able to make it to the crash scene and extinguish the flames.

As a result of the crash, three people and one dog were found dead at the scene. A second dog survived the crash and showed up at a nearby residence. The dog was taken to a local veterinarian to be treated for injuries.

The initial investigation has determined that the single engine Cessna (Tail Number N761YZ) had left Kansas City, Missouri and was heading to an airport in Frederick, Maryland when the crash occurred. It is unclear at this time what caused the plane to crash.

The Indiana State Police is conducting a joint investigation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The investigation is ongoing and may take weeks to complete.
The Indiana State Police was initially assisted by numerous police and fire departments in Franklin County as well as the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

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