Names Of Two Killed In Plane Crash

By Angela Hatcher
WSLS10 Reporter/Anchor
Published: March 17, 2008

Updated 9:50 p.m.

Victims identified:
State Police tell us the pilot was Aditya Roy Sanwalka.  His passenger was Margaret O’Brien.  Both are from Ontario, Canada.
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New pictures added

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Now the FAA says the plane took off in Canada, according to Virginia State Police.  The victims names have still not been released.

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Two are dead after a plane crashes near Marion.

Now the FAA says the plane took off in Canada, according to Virginia State Police.  The victims names have still not been released.
 
The plane was located about four miles north of Mountain Empire Airport in the Crawfish community.  State Police say that’s in the Jefferson National Forest.  The terrain is so mountainous the Marion Lifesaving Crew had to take 4-wheelers to get there.
   
Brian Burkett at Mountain Empire Airport, tells 10 On Your Side it happened around 10:30 Sunday morning.
 
Burkett says the airport received a signal from an emergency locating beacon.  The beacon transmits a signal a plane is down, so someone will find it.  The plane did not take off from Mountain Empire Airport, nor was it attempting to land there, according to Burkett.

Burkett and State Police both tell WSLS air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane after the pilot told them he was running into severe ice. 
   
State Police say they spotted the plane, on the ground, from their helicopter.
   
State Police say the pilot is male, his passenger is female.  They were the only two on the plane.  The victims are not from the area and Troopers are working to notify the family.

The plane is a single engine, Mooney 4-seater.

Burkett and State Police say there is no indication at this time the victims are in any way associated with NASCAR and might have been headed to or from the Bristol race.

The FAA is in the area investigating.