Cessna 172 Hits Truck on Takeoff, Killing Three

Bethany Whitfield

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

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Key Takeaways:

Three men were killed when a Cessna 172 collided with a truck during takeoff at Knox County Regional Airport in Maine.
After the collision, the airplane climbed briefly before nose-diving into a wooded area, killing 22-year-old David Cheney and 24-year-olds Marcelo Rugini and William Hannigan Ill.
The truck, which was authorized to be on airport grounds but did not feature a beacon light, was driven by an uninjured pilot; the NTSB is investigating communication at the non-towered airport.

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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.