Harpersville man killed in plane crash

Published 1:43 pm Thursday, June 19, 2014

By GINNY COOPER / Staff Writer

Kenneth Lynn Rousseau, 67, of Harpersville was killed in the crash of a small, general aviation aircraft at Madison County International Airport on June 18.

Rousseau was one of three involved in the crash. William Ross Cristopher II, 57, of Centerpoint and Robin Gary Smith, 60, of Yukon, Okla., also died in the crash, according to Madison County Deputy Coroner David Young.

The plane crashed at approximately 2:21 p.m. Central Standard Time, according to Karen Yarbrough, acting PR manager for the Madison County International Airport.

The plane was in the process of take off when the plane ran off the runway, resulting in a fire, Yarbrough said.

“(The crash) was responded to immediately by Huntsville International Airport and our regional mutual aid rescue and response teams also aided in the response,” Yarbrough said.

Yarbrough confirmed that there were three individuals on the airplane at the time of the crash, which resulted in three fatalities.