Family of 4 Among Those Killed in Ohio Plane Crash Just Minutes After Takeoff

A tight-knit Ohio community is reeling after a devastating plane crash killed six people—including an entire family—just minutes after takeoff.

The tragedy unfolded on Sunday, June 29, when a twin-engine aircraft went down in a densely wooded area just outside the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township. The flight, bound for a family vacation in Montana, ended in disaster only seven minutes after takeoff.

Among the dead: 63-year-old pilot Joseph “Joey” Maxin, his co-pilot Timothy Blake, 55, and four members of the Weller family—Veronica, 68, her husband James Weller II, 67, their son John, 36, and his wife Maria, 34.

The Wellers were prominent figures in the Mahoning Valley business scene. The family owned and operated a steel manufacturing business that had long been part of the industrial fabric of northeast Ohio.

“They were salt-of-the-earth people,” said Andy Resnick, a longtime friend of the family. “Hard-working, generous, proud of their roots—and just looking forward to a week away.”

Witnesses say the crash sounded like a thunderclap.

“I thought a storm was rolling through,” said nearby resident Rachel Flowers, who was jolted awake by the blast. “Then there were two more booms—it didn’t sound right. When I looked outside, I saw smoke pouring up through the trees.”

Emergency responders located the wreckage deep in the woods. Fire crews extinguished the flames quickly, but it was immediately clear that no one had survived.

Authorities confirmed that the flight departed from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at approximately 10:45 a.m. and disappeared from radar less than ten minutes later. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched a joint investigation into the cause.

Maxin, the pilot, wasn’t just a skilled aviator—he was a pillar of the Mahoning Valley community. Formerly an assistant prosecutor in Mahoning County, he most recently served as Director of Compliance for the Western Reserve Port Authority, which owns the airport.

“Joey was the guy everyone trusted in the air,” the Port Authority said in a statement. “If you asked any pilot around here who they’d want in the cockpit—it was Joey. No question.”

The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office also paid tribute, calling Maxin “a skilled attorney, a beloved friend, and a man with a one-of-a-kind sense of humor.” He had worked there on and off since 1990, switching between the civil and criminal divisions before eventually following his passion for aviation full-time.

As news of the crash spread, shock rippled across the region.

“These were good people. All of them,” said a spokesperson at the airport, visibly shaken. “Our community didn’t just lose six people—we lost neighbors, coworkers, and friends.”

The flight was meant to carry the Wellers on a vacation getaway—an escape from their demanding roles in the steel industry. Instead, their final journey has become a grim reminder of how suddenly tragedy can strike.

“This wasn’t just a crash,” said one resident who knew the Wellers through church. “This was the heart of our community going down.”

As the NTSB investigates what caused the plane to fall from the sky, a grieving region prepares to lay six beloved souls to rest.