Walton man died in Turkish plane crash

Feb 27 2009 By Vicki Eltis

A Walton man was among the dead of the Turkish plane crash

An American man who lived in Walton was among the passengers who died in a Turkish Airline crash at Holland's Schiphol Airport.

Fred Crognale, 48, who lived in Ellesmere Place when he was working in the UK, was the vice president controller for the Downstream Finance Department of Shell Aviation.

He was on board flight TK1951 from Istanbul, when it broke into three parts after losing power as it came into land, killing nine people and injuring 84 on February 25.

The Boeing 737-800 ploughed into a muddy field at 10.31am local time. There were 127 passengers and crew on board.

A spokeswoman from Shell International said: "It is with deep regret that we can confirm that Fred has been identified as one of the passengers who lost his life aboard the Turkish Airlines plane that crashed at Schiphol Airport in Holland.

"Fred was a valued colleague and friend to many in Shell globally. He will be sorely missed."

Fred was originally from Beaver County, in Pittsburgh, USA, and a former pupil at Beaver Falls High School. He is the son of Alfred and Adele Crognale, and leaves behind two daughters called Jennifer and Megan, who live in America, and one sister, Lori Martin.

The airliner crash killed three pilots, Captain Hasan Tahsin Ansan, Murat Sezer and Olgay Ozgur, flight attendant Ulvi Murat Eskin and four other passengers.

Turkish Airlines announced on Friday (February 27) it would pay 50,000 euros in compensation to the families of those who lost their lives.

A spokesman from Turkish Airlines said: "We offer our condolences to the families and friends of the passengers and crew members who lost their lives, and a speedy recovery to those passengers who are being treated for injuries.

"We pray for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace."

Investigations are still ongoing into what caused the plane to crash.