2 Dead After Plane Crashes In Car Dealership Parking Lot: Police

MARIETTA, OH — Two people died Tuesday in a plane crash that occurred in the parking lot of a car dealership near the Ohio state line in Marietta, according to police.

The crash was reported 7:15 a.m. at the Pioneer Buick GMC parking lot on Pike Street, police said, adding the plane was a 1974 Beechcraft King Air E90. The pilot and a second occupant suffered fatal injuries, according to police, who identified the victims as Eric S. Seevers, 45, of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Timothy F. Gifford, 49, of Orient, Ohio.

There were no reported injuries to people on the ground, although multiple buildings and vehicles at the dealership were damaged, police said.

The crash site is along a commercial corridor, near a large retail complex that includes Lowe's and Walmart stores. A stretch of Route 7 was closed for over an hour during the crash response, according to the city of Marietta.

The incident remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the National Transportation Safety Board.