West Lafayette pilot dies in small plane crash during severe Ohio storm

POLK, Ohio (WISH) — A West Lafayette, Indiana, man died Monday night in a single-engine plane crash during a severe thunderstorm warning in northeastern Ashland County, Ohio.

Gary Wolfelt, 72, was piloting an Experimental Express 2000 FT that crashed about 7:40 p.m. Monday in the area of Ohio State Route 89 and Jackson Township Road 902, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Wolfelt was the sole occupant of the aircraft. He died in the crash, the Polk Jackson Perry Fire District determined.

The plane had taken off from Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport, regional facility in Cleveland, Ohio.

Authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board, were working to determine the cause of the crash.

Storm Track 8 radar at the time of the crash showed the National Weather Service had a severe thunderstorm warning in the crash area, and two tornado warnings nearby.

(WISH Image)
A West Lafayette, Indiana, man died the night of May 5, 2025, in a single-engine plane crash during a severe thunderstorm warning in northeastern Ashland County, Ohio. Gary Wolfelt, 72, was piloting an Experimental Express 2000 FT that crashed about 7:40 p.m. May 5, 2025, in the area of Ohio State Route 89 and Jackson Township Road 902, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. (Provided Photo/Ashland County, Ohio, Pictures)
A West Lafayette, Indiana, man died the night of May 5, 2025, in a single-engine plane crash during a severe thunderstorm warning in northeastern Ashland County, Ohio. Gary Wolfelt, 72, was piloting an Experimental Express 2000 FT that crashed about 7:40 p.m. May 5, 2025, in the area of Ohio State Route 89 and Jackson Township Road 902, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. (Provided Photo/Ashland County, Ohio, Pictures)

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