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VIENNA -- The Federal Aviation Administration has joined the investigation into Wednesday's accident at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics that injured two students, according to Elizabeth Cory, FAA spokeswoman for the Great Lakes region.
PIA students were working in a hangar at the school's Youngstown campus at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport when a prop plane engine began operating, hitting Zachary J. Norris, 20, in the face and Cody W. Keller, 28, in the hand. Police said at the time of the accident, the engine was on a stand.
Keller has been released from St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, and as of Friday afternoon, Norris was in critical but stable condition there, according to Vienna police.
The Vienna Police Department reached out to the FAA following the accident to determine if the organization should be involved in the investigation. According to reports, the FAA initially told police it would not be involved in the investigation because the accident did not involve an aircraft, only an engine that had a propeller attached.
However, Cory said Friday if the institute was FAA certified, the agency would likely be involved in the investigation and confirmed later Friday that an investigation has been launched.
"Aviation schools must have an active certification from the FAA in order to operate. They must comply with the FAA regulations, and the FAA oversees the curriculum," Cory said in an email.
She said the investigation would take several weeks to complete and the details could not be discussed while it is ongoing.
Several other investigative agencies were notified about the accident, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, but did not choose to participate.
Vienna police Chief Bob Ludt said Thursday their investigation so far shows the two students were following procedure before starting the engine outside by turning the propeller and circulating the oil in the motor.
"It was a freak accident. The fact that the engine fired off when … they've probably done that many times and it never happened. They were pretty confident, apparently, that it wasn't going to fire off and it did," Ludt said.
PIA President and CEO Suzanne Markle said the school was kept closed Thursday in order for its own staff to review what happened and seek measures that could be taken to ensure a similar accident does not happen again.
John Moliterno, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which oversees the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, said as of noon Friday students were going to decide whether the school would open for afternoon sessions. Counselors have been available to the students since the accident, he said.
Moliterno said that the WRPA is not directly involved in the PIA or the investigation.
"Accidents are a terrible occurrence," said Moliterno. "I know [PIA] are investigating on their own terms."