Rostraver Airport reopens after crash that killed president of Pittsburgh aeronautics school

Airport officials and pilots in the region were stunned by an airplane crash Wednesday at Rostraver Airport that killed the president of the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.

John Graham III, 42, of Jefferson Hills died after he lost control of the antique Howard single-engine airplane he was using to practice “touch-and-go” landings and takeoffs at the airport in southwestern Westmoreland County at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. The plane veered into some woods south of the runway, crashed and caught fire.

Graham was the third generation of his family since 1946 to own and operate the West Mifflin-based institute, which offers programs for aircraft maintenance, electronics, commercial drivers and heavy equipment operators. He also was an ambassador for the aviation community.

“Mr. Graham demonstrated the very highest values in business and was known for his kindness and compassion toward all students and staff of PIA,” Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Markle said in a statement Thursday. “His love for aviation and education will be his legacy, and he will be sorely missed by the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics community.”

Bob Kerlik, spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, said Graham was “a great partner” to the authority, which operates both the Allegheny County Airport, where the institute is based, and Pittsburgh International Airport.

“His passion and commitment to teaching students about aviation was an asset to our region,” Kerlik said.

Through the Allegheny County Airport Authority's Ready for Takeoff program, which aims to generate interest in aviation careers among middle- and high-school students, Graham would help mentor students in some of the career options available to them. For the last two years, he flew Westinghouse High School ninth-graders around the city to see their school from the air. Graham was scheduled to provide another such flight next month, Kerlik said.

Richard “Ike” Kelly, manager at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport and a member of the institute's board of directors, said he had known Graham since the man was an infant.

“He was a very competent individual, both in how he ran the institute and as a pilot,” Kelly said. “It's a great loss... It's left us in a daze since this occurred.”

Kelly said he did not know what the board's next steps would be for the school, which was closed Thursday with no one to answer calls.

“His vision for the education we provide, his commitment to high-quality operations, and his unwavering support for the career success of our graduates and alumni will be carried forth by our administrative team, our campus leaders, and each member of our faculty and professional staff,” Markle said in her statement.

“Our extended PIA family of faculty, staff, administration, students, and alumni are shaken by this sudden loss of our friend, colleague and mentor, but each of us will take solace in the opportunity we have to honor John Graham's legacy and vision in our daily work,” she said.

Markle said the school, which owned the 1940s-vintage Howard DGA-15P aircraft, was cooperating with investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said investigators were examining the plane's maintenance records, Graham's medical history, his communications with air traffic control and as many other data sources as possible, but a determination of the cause could still take 12 to 18 months.

A preliminary report on the crash — without pointing to a cause — may be available as soon as the end of next week.

Most of the Rostraver Airport had reopened by 8 a.m. Thursday following the crash, except for a section of the taxiway where Graham's plane went into the woods. That reopened later in the morning, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority.

Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6660 or msantoni@tribweb.com.