5 Environmental Employees Die In Plane Crash Near Clinton National, Same Company Reportedly Helped With East Palestine Clean-Up

A plane headed to Ohio crashed Wednesday, killing five people on board. The aircraft crashed not too long after taking off in Little Rock, Arkansas, near Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, according to officials. Everyone on the plane – including the pilot – was employed at the firm Toxicology Consulting and Environmental Health (CTEH) based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. 

CTEH has experts to "help companies, governments, and communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from threats to their environment and people," their website states. Their responsive services include "environmental data collection, and management, GIS, safety, incident management, industrial hygiene, toxicology, and human health consulting for the public and private sectors."

A spokesperson for the company said employees were responding to the recent explosion at the Schumann and Company Metals Plant, where one person was killed last week. The CTEH group was heading to Oakwood Village, Ohio to help with the explosion's aftermath. The plant is about an hour and a half drive from East Palestine.

According to Cleveland 19 News, CTEH recently had representatives in East Palestine to assist with an environmental clean-up after the train derailment occurred. The names of CTEH employees have not been released, and it's currently unknown what caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, which was reported to have taken place during bad weather.

Dr. Paul Nony, senior vice president of CTEH, has issued a statement. “We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues,” he said. “We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.”

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