Venice man dies in a plane crash in Oak Hill.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News 

Charles Alban, 73, of Venice, died Tuesday afternoon when the plane he was operating hit a tree in front of a home at 1779 Maytown Road in Oak Hill.

According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Alban had traded planes with another pilot for the aircraft he was operating, a Taylor Monoplane (experimental/homemade). Just after 3:30 p.m., Alban taxied the plane several times at Blue Ridge Flightpark Airport, a private facility on Maytown Road. After getting comfortable with the aircraft, Alban headed south on the airstrip, planning to fly home to Venice.

However, the plane did not appear to climb into the air and suddenly veered left for unknown reasons, hitting the tree. Alban was transported to an area hospital and succumbed to his injuries just before 5 p.m.

Sheriff’s detectives conducted a preliminary investigation of the plane and the runway. It was apparent that the aircraft veered off course, but detectives did not locate anything that might have caused the crash. The investigation was turned over to the NTSB and FAA.

A representative with NTSB arrived at the scene early today.