Small Plane Slides off Runway at Kent State Airport; No One Hurt

A small plane slid off the runway at  and landed in a ditch, just 6 inches away from a heavily traveled road in Stow.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports the Cessna 303 was landing at the Kent State airport when it went off the runway at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“Basically what happened is the plane went to land and overshot the runway. It landed short,” Ohio State Highway Trooper Brett Claxon said.

The plane ran into a ditch, and after the plane came to a halt, the left wing was a mere 6 inches away from North Riverview Road, near .

Six people, including the pilot, were inside the plane. The three adults and three children aboard the small commercial craft were uninjured. The family was coming into town for an event.

The condition of runway was wet, Claxon said, but it had no standing water. The rainy weather made it difficult for the pilot to bring the plane to a complete stop, he said.

“When you have a wet runway, you have to start your landing a lot earlier, so you have more room to play with,” Claxon said.

Stow police and Kent State police also responded. The plane is unaffiliated with the university.

Neither alcohol nor drugs were factors in the crash, the patrol said.