Mayor Shan Ash Injured in Ultralight Plane Crash

CLEVELAND, Ga. — The White County Sheriff’s Office confirmed today that Cleveland Mayor Shan Ash was a passenger in the Ultralight plane that crashed into the woods off Hwy. 115 in Cleveland Friday evening.

The crash took place about 7 p.m. on property owned by Ash, but White County Deputy Chuck Williamson was not called to the scene until 11:52 a.m. on Saturday.

Williamson made contact with the mayor by phone and asked if he was hurt. Ash said his back was hurt and he had gone to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.

The plane owner and pilot was 75-year-old Henry Vanginkle of Cleveland. Williamson contacted Vanginkle who said he was not sure what happened but he was flying above the crash site when the plane started to go down. He indicated that he couldn’t remember anything after the plane hit the ground.

Williamson said while he was at the crash site, Shan Ash’s son arrived and told him that EMS had come to the scene and saw the plane crash but that his father did not want to be transported to the hospital.

Crime scene tape was put up around the scene and Deputy Casey Davis located what appeared to be two fresh cans of Coors Light next to the crash site.

Williamson took pictures of the scene and attached them to the report to the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). The agency dispatched investigator David Detscher to the scene.