Four undergraduate Case Western Reserve University students died last night after their four-seat plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Willoughby Hills, a town roughly 15 miles northeast of CWRU. 

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the four killed in the crash were William Felten, Lucas Marcelli, Abraham Pishevar, and John Hill. Felten had been piloting the 1999 Cessna model 172R.

A highway patrol representative said that the plane crashed just after its ascent from takeoff from Cuyahoga County Airport. After the plane crashed, the plane became engulfed in flames. The four occupants were trapped inside the aircraft and died from their injuries at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

An email sent out this morning by CWRU President Barbara R. Snyder said that the university believed that “the four individuals killed in last night’s local plane crash were undergraduates at our university.”

In this email, Snyder said that the parents of the young people involved had been notified, and that representatives from University Counseling Services (USC) were already helping roommates and close friends.

USC is also scheduled to have walk-in hours all day today for those needing assistance. The organization’s office is  located in the Sears Building on the main quad. They can reached by telephone at 216-368-5872.