Michigan man killed in area plane crash

Ohio State Highway Patrol news

BRYAN – A Michigan pilot was killed when his single-engine aircraft crashed in a field north of Bryan Aero Park airport on Saturday morning.

Leslie N. Dean, 62, of Ann Arbor, Mich., was pronounced dead at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo at 1:15 p.m. Saturday.

According to the Patrol, Dean was attempting to land his 2010 self-assembled single-engine aircraft on a grass runway while another aircraft was attempting to land from the opposite direction. Dean attempted to avoid the other aircraft by regaining altitude and veering to the left. The airplane then stalled and crashed.

Both Dean and a passenger in his plane, Kent C. Hyne, 51, also of Ann Arbor, were life-flighted from the accident scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Defiance Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Assistance was provided at the scene by the Williams County Sheriff’s Office, Williams County EMS and Bryan Fire Department.