That office was closed Thursday because of the incident. The plane made a round trip to UPA every month when Arffa, a well-regarded opthalmalogical surgeon who had won awards for the videos he made demonstrating techniques, visited State College to share his skills. “He will be greatly missed”.
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The pilot and a passenger were both pronounced dead at the scene by Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers. Asked for confirmation of the information from Arffa’s colleagues, he said that he would not formally identify the victims yet. While an employee said they had been informed about the crash, she declined to issue a statement.
The plane crashed in a densely wooded area approximately 1 mile east of the airport on property owned by Penn State near Rock Road and Barns Lane. U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s office confirmed the tail number as N3591P.
His resume showed him working for Aero National since 2013.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has confirmed that the plane that crashed was involved in an accident several years at the Washington County Airport. On Friday morning, Sayers positively identified the passenger as Dr. Robert C. Arffa, of Pittsburgh.
The twin-engine airplane based at Washington County Airport crashed Thursday morning near State College.
Aero National is an air ambulance company that has served the medical community since 1969, according to its website.
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According to Aero National President Thomas Pizzuti, the journey started around 7:30 a.m.at the Washington County Airport.
