By FireRescue1 Staff
MADISON COUNTY, Ind. — Two firefighters were killed while off duty Monday when the plane they were in crashed at an airport.
CNN reported that Pipe Creek Township Fire Department firefighters Kyle Hibst and David Wittkamper, both 31, were about to take off in a plane when they collided with another plane that had just landed, according to officials.
“A single-engine Cessna 150 collided on the ground this afternoon with a Cessna 525 CitationJet at Marion Municipal Airport,” the FAA said in a statement. “Preliminary information indicates that the Cessna 150 was attempting to take off at about 5:09 ET when it struck the tail of the Citation, which had just landed. The Cessna 150 was carrying two people and the Citation had five aboard.”
Hibst, who was also EMS chief of the department, became a firefighter in 2011.
Wittkamper became a firefighter in 2007 and had followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.
“David grew up with the firefighters as his family,” the department said.
“Chief Richard Shepherd is saddened by the loss of these two great individuals who have given so much back to their family, community and this fire department,” the department said. “The members of the Pipe Creek Fire Department are all at a loss as they come together to help each other through this difficult time.
The crash is currently under investigation.