VIJAYAWADA: An elderly couple from Machilipatnam who settled in the USA long ago, were killed when a small plane in which they were flying crashed into a retention pond in Southeastern Ohio.
According to reports published by the American media, the police identified the deceased as pilot Umamaheswara Kalapatapu (63) and his wife Sitha-Gita Kalapatapu (61). The Kalapatapus are psychiatrists who owned Raj Clinics.
Their mortal remains were recovered from the Ohio crash site, near the Washington County village of Beverly. Authorities believe the crash occurred on Saturday morning, as the private plane left Cass County, Indiana, but lost contact after 10:30 am. The plane was reported missing in the afternoon. It disappeared from radar and the wreckage was found in a retention pond.
The plane was supposedly headed towards Washington DC. Lt. Chesar said the plane was in the water for about seven hours. “Beverly Volunteer Fire Department and Little Hocking Fire Department used scuba divers to retrieve the plane and the victims from it.” There is no word on the cause of the crash. The crash is under investigation by Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.