Avon man, co-pilot killed in Ohio plane crash

FOSTORIA, Ohio — An Avon man and his co-pilot died Tuesday night after a plane crash in Ohio.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the plane crashed in a wooded area just before 11 p.m.

Shane Alan Halbrook, 59, of Avon and co-pilot Michael D. Wright, 51, of Casey Illinois, were both pronounced dead at the scene. The Indiana Air National Guard says both men were former Guard members. They released the following statement.

"With heavy hearts, we have learned of the passing of two former Indiana Air National Guard members. Retired. Col. Shane A. Halbrook and Maj. Michael D. Wright were lost in a single-engine aircraft incident late last evening in Seneca County, Ohio.

Col. Halbrook’s last assignment was the director of joint staff for the Indiana Air National Guard.

Maj. Wright was a member of the 181st Communication Flight, 181st Intelligence Wing, Hulman Field Air National Guard Base, Indiana, prior to transferring to the Air Force Reserve at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Please join us in a moment of silent reflection, prayer, and thoughts for their families as they deal with this devastating loss."

The Associated Press reports the single-engine plane was traveling from Illinois to Findlay, Ohio when the aircraft went down.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Photo Provided: U.S. Department of Defense