TWO PURDUE STUDENTS HURT IN VINTAGE PLANE CRASH IN INDIANA
Two Purdue University students are seriously hurt after a World War II plane crash in Tippecanoe County. The aviation accident happened Tuesday afternoon near Americus, Indiana. The Tippicanoe County Sheriff's Office says the students involved are 22-year old Anthony Cole and 22-year old Thomas Williams, both from West Lafayette.
Cole is the most serious injured and was the pilot. He underwent surgery this morning at Methodist Hospital in Marion County. Medics airlifted him there after they got him out of the Taylorcraft plane. He arrived at the hospital in critical condition. Williams, the passenger, is listed in serious condition at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette.
The FAA and NTSB are planning to investigate this accident. Rescue workers found the single engine aircraft in a wooded area on a farm with its nose in the ground and tail in the air. So far, crews are pointing to engine failure as the cause of the accident.
Investigators believe the plane's tail number is that of a privately-owned 1944 Taylorcraft out of Ohio. According to Taylorcraft.org, the Taylorcraft Corporation boomed in Alliance, Ohio between the years 1935 and 1946. However, following the end of World War II, the company saw its demise.
