Published Tuesday, July 6, 1999 Mercer County Assistant Deputy Coroner Scott A. Black said Keith Brannon, 19, of 402 Meek St., and Joe Kell, 28, of 389 Brooklyn St., drowned, but blunt force trauma also played a role in their deaths.
"It's imperative to know that they were unconscious but their injuries were not enough to kill them," Black said.
It took boaters and rescue workers about 35 minutes to pull the men from the water, said Jefferson-Clark Regional Police Chief Jeffrey Lockhard. Rescuers were hampered by gasoline and debris in the water, he said.
The men had to be cut from the wreckage, which was in about 15 feet of water, Lockhard said.
The lake was packed with boaters enjoying the Fourth of July and waiting for fireworks to start but the aircraft did not
hit anyone on the water.
"This really could've been a lot worse than what it is," Lockhard said.
Some witnesses reported that they men were flying low and "buzzing" boats on the water; others said they were performing stunts before the crash.
Kell was flying the experimental aircraft he built with its owner Trumbull County Eastern District Court Judge Ronald J. Rice, Lockhard said.
According to FAA regulations, pilots of thiat style of "ultralight-type aircraft" must have at least a private or recreational license. To get the license, pilots must fly at least 10 hours with two hours of solo time. They must also complete 30 takeoffs and landings.
Kell is not listed in an FAA data bank of pilots available on the Internet. Rice, who holds a license, has been unavailable for comment.
National Transportation and Safety Board investigator Robert Hancock said he is researching whether Kell held the required license. The Internet listing is reliable, Hancock said, but Kell's license may not be listed there for a variety of reasons.
The FAA dismantled the aircraft Monday and moved it to a protected area until the investigation is complete. The NTSB will lead the investigation into a cause for the crash.
Hancock said he will have a preliminary report available later this week.
Kell and Brannon took off from a Brookfield airstrip at Route 82 and Obermiyer Road, also reported to be owned by Rice. The craft was registered to fly in 1997.
The aircraft was built from a kit purchased from Lakeland Ultralights, formerly owned by Ivor J. Lee Manufacturing Corp., Masury.
The company president, Ivor J. Lee II, was killed in April 1997 when his ultralight crashed into a Florida trailer park. The ultralight company has been closed.
Brannon's grandfather, Walter Phillips, said his grandson rode in Kell's aircraft on Saturday and excitedly told him about it. But Phillips said he was skeptical of the its safety.
"We told him they were dangerous," Phillips said. "He said, 'Grandpa, there's nothing to it. No problem at all.' It didn't work out that way."
Kell's brother Josh, who said he also helped build the aircraft, said his brother was an experienced pilot and the craft had been used several times before without any problems.
"It's all he could think about, it's all he wanted to do is fly," Josh Kell said. "He loved it. He understood it from the time he was 9 years old."
