The Piper Archer PA-28 piloted by Umamaheswara is believed to have crashed sometime between 10:36 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, the media release said.
HOUSTON (TIP): In a tragic incident, an Indian-origin psychiatrist couple were killed when their private plane crashed in the US state of Ohio, police officials said on Wednesday, July 5.
Umamaheswara Kalapatapu, 63, and his wife Sitha-Gita Kalapatapu, 61, both of Logansport, were killed in the crash, according to a media release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The Piper Archer PA-28 piloted by Umamaheswara is believed to have crashed sometime between 10:36am and 12:30pm on Saturday, July 8, the release said.
The release goes on to report that Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation with assistance from the Civil Air Patrol located the crash scene in an abandoned retention pond near the village of Beverly in southeastern Ohio.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt Garic Warner said in an interview on Monday that the crash occurred about 3 miles northwest of Beverly.
Searchers found the wreckage Saturday afternoon.
There was no word on what caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
The Kalapatapus were psychiatrists and owned Raj Clinics, with offices in Logansport, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Kokomo.
“They were generous to a fault, extremely hardworking and dedicated to their patients,” employee Heather Geisler said of the Kalapatapus.
Umamaheswara Kalapatapu was a talented photographer while Sitha-Gita was a gifted musician and “fantastic cook,” Geisler said.
Umamaheswara received multiple state, national and international awards and recognition for his photography and had been a certified professional photographer by the Professional Photographers of America since 2005, according to Pharos-Tribune archives.
“They were just two people that were so full of life. It’s hard to imagine that they’re not there anymore. They were wonderful people, absolutely wonderful. Two of the kindest people I’ve ever known and I’m going to miss them,” Geisler said.