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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Men killed in plane crash identified

The identities of the two men who died in Thursday’s plane crash outside of Monroe County Airport have been confirmed.

Thomas Saccio, 72, from Blounts Creek, N.C., and Russell Kotlarek, 51, from Saukville, Wisc., were both identified as the pilots of the small aircraft that crashed on Oard Road last week, according to Monroe County Coroner Nicole Meyer.

The identities of Saccio and Kotlarek were determined through DNA testing, according to the release.

Because of an incorrect tail number provided by a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson last week, a previous story stating the plane was a home-built Hurricane model aircraft was incorrect.

The correct tail number, N516SW, belongs to Seawind 3000, a fixed wing single-engine aircraft registered to Saccio.

The plane is listed as “experimental” and “amateur built” in the FAA Registry, available on the administration’s website.

The registration was issued to Saccio in December 2006 and would expire in February 2016.

Seven miles from the airport, the men reported a low fuel indicator. The airport did not hear from them again.

Members of the FAA response team were sent to Bloomington following the crash, spokesperson Tony Molinaro said. The team’s information will then be turned over to the National Transportation Safety Bureau for further analysis.

The investigation into the plane’s crash is still ongoing. 

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