Search ends for glider in Carlisle quarry pond; No aircraft, persons found

Numerous crews responded to the site based on a witness account Thursday evening
The search resumed Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, for a glider that reportedly crashed in the water at a Carlisle quarry Thursday evening. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

The search resumed Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, for a glider that reportedly crashed in the water at a Carlisle quarry Thursday evening. MARSHALL GORBY / STAFF

The search for a glider reported to have crashed in a Carlisle quarry pond ended Friday afternoon after crews could not find any aircraft or persons.

Carlisle police Chief Will Rogers confirmed crews did not find the glider or any people after a second day of searching. There are no plans to resume the search.

Rogers added no missing persons have been reported and the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t been notified of any missing aircraft.

The glider reportedly crashed into an aggregate pond in the 300 block of Central Avenue in Carlisle near the Great Miami River on Thursday, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Ryan Purpura.

A passerby reported the crash at about 6:10 p.m., Rogers said.

The chief said Thursday there was no reason to believe the call was a false alarm and that the the passerby had given very specific details about the crash.

The search continued for more than four hours Thursday, with multiple boats, search teams, drones, an Ohio Department of Natural Resources boat equipped with side-tracking sonar and an OSHP helicopter responding.

“We discontinued our search around (11 p.m. Thursday) just because of safety, darkness, temperatures,” said Carlisle Fire Department Chief Jeremy Lane.

On Friday morning, crews resumed searching, with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office flying a helicopter over the site in an attempt to spot the glider from the air.

“We’re going to try our best to exhaust every possible resource we have to try and locate something,” Lane said Friday morning. “But at this time we still have not located anything.”

The glider was described as a “non-powered glider that would be towed up by an airplane,” he added.

Around 50 first responder crews responded to the search Thursday, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Carlisle Police Department, Carlisle Fire Department, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Joint Emergency Medical Services, Franklin Police Division, Franklin Fire and EMS Division, Franklin Township Fire Department, Warren County Technical Rescue Team, Miami Valley Fire Department, Clinton Warren Joint Fire District, American Red Cross and the FAA.