2 in critical condition after small-plane crash

2/26/2006

ROCKFORD, Ohio Two men remained in critical condition yesterday following a small-plane crash Friday east of Rockford, about 90 miles southwest of Toledo.

The pilot, Joel D. Avore, 35, of Greenville, and passenger, James A. Canders, 32, of Wyoming, Mich., initially were flown to the Medical University of Ohio Medical Center, Toledo.

Mr. Avore was transferred to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, and Mr. Canders was transferred to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Both men were in critical condition last night, hospital spokesmen said.

The 1967 Cessna struck electrical wires and a tree before crashing about 2:20 p.m. in a side yard near a home east of Rockford, near the Indiana-Ohio line, the Ohio Highway Patrol said.

The plane was headed from Battle Creek, Mich., to Phillipsburg, Ohio, the patrol said.

The crash remains under investigation by the patrol. Federal Aviation Administration officials also will visit the scene.