Monday, December 11th 2023, 12:12 pm
The two people who were killed in a plane crash that happened Sunday morning in northwest Oklahoma City have been identified by the Sooner Nation Collective.
Megan Ellis was the executive director of the Sooner Nation Collective and her husband Barrett was an attorney with the OU Foundation.
The Sooner Nation Collective's statement can be read below.
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of our Executive Director, Megan Ellis, and her husband, Barrett, who was an attorney with OU Foundation. Her dedication to The Sooner Nation Collective was unwavering, leaving an indelible mark of community leadership. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families. The Sooner Nation Collective will work to ensure continuity while respecting privacy.
Here's what happened, according to authorities: A single-engine prop plane took off from Wiley Post Airport and crashed minutes later.
One witness who stopped to help says the plane flew right over his car just seconds before the crash.
Audio captured on live air traffic reveals a conversation between a pilot and air traffic control in the moments leading up to the crash.
"I'm declaring an emergency,” the pilot said, followed by air traffic control offering assistance for an emergency landing.
Joe Safarik was on the ground, driving along North Wilshire Boulevard.
"Like every day I’m driving over there, I see planes landing,” Safarik said. “They're always landing there. It's normal."
But today, he knew something wasn't right.
"The airplane coming over that road was already too low," he said, recalling the moment he witnessed the crash. "He hit his wheel on this concrete pile and then right behind it he went nose down."
Scott Douglas with the Oklahoma City Fire Department said only two people were on board the plane.
"We tried to ask him some questions, but due to the traumatic scene we're not sure the accuracy of the information he was giving us," Douglas said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation into what caused the crash.
December 11th, 2023
December 23rd, 2024
December 23rd, 2024
December 23rd, 2024
December 24th, 2024
December 24th, 2024
December 24th, 2024
December 24th, 2024