Cessna 172 Hits Truck on Takeoff, Killing Three

Bethany Whitfield

Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 12:16 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A Cessna 172 crashed during takeoff from Knox County Regional Airport after colliding with a truck, resulting in the deaths of all three men aboard.
After the collision, the airplane reportedly climbed to about 150 feet before banking and nose-diving into a wooded area.
The truck, driven by an authorized individual picking up a fellow pilot, was on airport grounds but did not feature a beacon light; its driver was not injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident, including communication at the non-towered airport.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Three men were killed Friday night in a Cessna 172 when the airplane hit a truck on takeoff from Knox County Regional Airport in Maine.

After the collision, the airplane reportedly climbed to about 150 feet before banking east and nose-diving into a wooded area, killing 22-year-old David Cheney, 24-year-old Marcelo Rugini and 24-year-old William Hannigan Ill. First responders at the scene attempted to pull one occupant out of the burning wreckage without success.