James Weller, president and chief executive of Liberty Steel Industries, was killed in a plane crash in Howland Township, Ohio, on June 29. The accident occurred approximately two miles from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and resulted in the deaths of four members of the Weller family, as well as the pilot and copilot. The Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber confirmed the fatalities.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the crash, but the cause has not yet been determined.

Liberty Steel Industries, based in Warren, Ohio, specializes in processing coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled steel, and provides a range of stamping and blanking services. The company maintains an average in-house inventory of 10,000 short tons to supply various stampings and assemblies. It also operates facilities in Lordstown, Ohio, and Saltillo, Mexico. The company is not affiliated with the similarly named Liberty Steel, which previously operated a mill in Georgetown, South Carolina, now being demolished.

Liberty Steel Industries has not issued a public comment regarding the accident.