Experimental aircraft crashes, 1 dead

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio, July 15 (UPI) -- A 54-year-old high school basketball coach died in the crash of an experimental aircraft in Knox County, Ohio, authorities say.

The State Highway Patrol said Lawrence R. Eberst, varsity basketball coach for Delaware Hayes High School, was killed Tuesday when an Antares MA33 motor-powered paraglider crashed near Centerburg, Ohio, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported Wednesday.

No cause for the deadly crash of the amateur-built aircraft was reported, but the Federal Aviation Administration was looking into the incident.

State Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Hurlbert said witnesses said the small aircraft appeared to be spiraling out of control before slamming into a cornfield.

Kevin Reed, the athletic director at Eberst's school, remembered the basketball coach as a vital part of the school's athletic program.

"He was just an outstanding person," Reed told the Dispatch. "He was someone you'd definitely want to coach your son or daughter. He contributed so much to so many kids. It's heart-wrenching."