NTSB releases final report regarding deadly plane crash in July 2023 at Lake of the Ozarks

CAMDENTON, Mo. (KY3) - The National Transportation Safety Board claims pilot error caused a deadly plane crash at Lake of the Ozarks in July of 2023.

Investigators said Hayden M Ritchhart, 22, of Carrollton, Mo., and Evan R. Vandiver, 19, of Richmond, Mo., died in the crash. They say Gary Vandiver, 54, of Richmond, Mo., suffered serious injuries.

The crash happened in the afternoon hours of July 13, 2023. Investigators say the plane had just departed the Grand Glaize Airport. Searchers found the wreckage in a treeline at the old golf course between Route KK and U.S. 54. First responders could not locate the wreckage at first. A park ranger was able to find it. Emergency crews used UTVs to get the victims of the aircraft to where the ambulance was.

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