News: Plane Crashes Headed for Montauk
(Long Island, N.Y.) A single-engine high wing Cessna P210 Centurion aircraft crashed on its way to Montauk, killing all four of the passengers. The accident occurred Saturday after an afternoon departure from a Westchester airport. The experienced pilot was a sixty-three-year old father, who perished along with his wife and fourteen-year-old daughter.
Another fourteen-year-old girl, a friend of the pilot’s daughter, was also killed in the crash. The aircraft fell into a wooded area near a small office park in New Castle roughly two minutes into the flight. Reports stated that the property, a mile northwest of the airport, belonged to a company that supplies water to New York City and is owned by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The aircraft had been heading due north into clear skies and light winds, amidst what many described as beautiful weather. According to reports, the plane clipped trees shortly after takeoff while it was only fifty feet above ground. It crashed at a steep angle after the pilot had tried to turn around.
Prior to that, the pilot had told Air Traffic Control that he had to return due to an unspecified emergency. Police and authorities on the case are uncertain about what caused the crash, but know that it caught fire after impact. The fire quickly consumed the fuselage and cockpit.
Reports stated that the plane’s retractable landing gear was up and the wing flaps were retracted at the time of the crash. There were no known witnesses to the accident, and the pilot never mentioned problems prior to the tragedy. The pilot, who was a licensed flight instructor, had owned the plane for at least three years.
An investigation has been conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, and should span a minimum of two to three days. Since police and authorities on the case have identified the victims, they have learned that the pilot’s wife was also a licensed pilot. The pilot’s father had given him flying lessons for his sixteenth birthday, which lead him to obtain nearly fifty years of flying experience.
The pilot’s daughter had just turned fourteen a week before the accident and the family lived on West 57th Street in Manhattan. He was been married for twenty-five years and his family owns a fine arts framing business. His eighty-five-year old father claimed that he enjoyed flying and took to it well.
Part of the investigation will examine recorded radar and radio traffic footage. Reports stated that the maintenance records for the aircraft have not yet been discovered. A 300 horsepower turbocharged engine with the propeller was the only object that could be identified amongst the debris.
Reports stated that the plane was built in 1980 and was a six-seater, as verified by the Federal Aviation Administration. It was based at Panorama Flight Service in White Plains. The model was introduced in 1959 and an estimated nine-thousand were built between 1960-1986. It allegedly passed examination and was considered a safe aircraft.
