Particle.news

Download on the App Store

NTSB Probes Youngstown Plane Crash That Killed Steel Executive and Family

Memorial services are being planned to honor the Weller family alongside tributes to two pilots killed minutes after departure.

Jets are pictured at the Youngstown - Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio, Monday, June 30, 2025, where a day earlier a plane crashed on take off killing all onboard. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Workers are pictured in front of a jet at the Youngstown - Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio, Monday, June 30, 2025, where a day earlier a plane crashed on take off killing all onboard.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are examining flight data and wreckage with a preliminary report due later in July.
  • The June 29 Cessna 441 crash claimed six lives shortly after takeoff from Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, including James “Jim” Weller, his wife Veronica, son John, daughter-in-law Maria, and pilots Joseph Maxin and Timothy Blake.
  • James Weller II had served as president and CEO of Liberty Steel Industries since 1965 and was also a two-time track champion at Sharon Speedway.
  • Joseph Maxin was a former Mahoning County assistant prosecutor and respected flight instructor, and co-pilot Timothy Blake had decades of turboprop experience.
  • Howland Township residents and regional organizations are planning memorials to honor those lost in what local officials called the area’s deadliest plane crash in recent history.