On June 29, 2025, at approximately 0654 EDT, a Cessna 441, registration N441LS, was destroyed in an accident near Warren, Ohio. The flight was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR regulations. The pilot and five passengers sustained fatal injuries in the crash.
Prior to the accident, the pilot received an instrument flight rules clearance from Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport (YNG) for a flight to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN). The pilot was cleared for takeoff from runway 32 with instructions to turn left direct to the destination. Weather conditions were reported as VMC with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 090 degrees at 4 knots.
Security camera footage from the airport showed the aircraft rotating at approximately 4,400 to 4,500 feet down the 9,003-foot runway. The aircraft reached an estimated altitude of 100 feet above ground level before leveling off. ADS-B data indicated the aircraft remained at a low altitude throughout the takeoff roll, closely following the path of a broken tree limb.
Witnesses located 1.5 nm northwest of the site reported hearing the takeoff roll and a distinct change in engine pitch. They noted the aircraft did not appear above the tree line, followed by the sound of breaking trees and a loud explosion. Video from a nearby farm showed the airplane flying at a low altitude in a level attitude before disappearing behind trees.
The aircraft impacted trees in a heavily wooded area, which caused a major portion of the left wing to separate. The wreckage, including the fuselage, the inboard section of the left wing, the right wing, and the aft empennage, came to rest in an inverted position. A postcrash fire heavily damaged the cockpit, cabin, and the right wing.