1 dead, 2 critical in small plane crash on Long Island: police
NEW YORK - A small plane trying to return to a Long Island airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit crashed Monday afternoon, killing one person and critically injuring two others aboard, officials said.
According to authorities, the Piper PA 28 crashed Sunday shortly before 3 p.m. while returning to attempt an emergency landing at Republic Airport in Farmingdale.
The plane was carrying two passengers, Roma and Reeva Gupta of New Jersey. Reeva and the pilot, a 23-year-old man from the Bronx, managed to escape the crash alive, but Roma was killed.
No injuries were reported on the ground.
Suffolk County Police said the single-engine plane had taken off from the same airport at 2:18 p.m. The pilot issued a mayday signal a short time later, indicating there was smoke in the cockpit.
The statement said the plane had turned back toward the airport to make an emergency landing, but crashed at 2:58 p.m. near an intersection in North Lindenhurst, not far from the Long Island Rail Road track.
A small plane crashed on Long Island, killing one person and critically injuring two others aboard, officials said.
The plane crashed into an area of trees and brush near the tracks, said Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer. Of the crash area, he said, "It’s like a buffer that runs along the tracks."
A person posted pictures on social media showing black smoke rising over homes on a suburban street. Police said they closed a local road because of the crash.
Neighbors living near the crash site told FOX 5 NY that over the past thirty years, the planes flying overhead have only gotten louder, larger, and lower.
"It could’ve been my house or any one of our houses," said Kellie Watson, who felt the impact of the crash from her house.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and responded to the scene.
A small plane crashed on Long Island, killing one person and critically injuring two others aboard, officials said.
On Tuesday, the NTSB will start recovering the wreckage to an offsite facility to undergo further investigation.
With the Associated Press.