LINDENHURST, NY (AP) – A small plane attempting to return to a suburban Long Island airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cabin crashed on Sunday, killing one and seriously injuring two others on board, a authorities reported.
No injuries were reported on the ground.
The Piper PA 28 plane crashed just before 3 p.m. while trying to make an emergency landing at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, about 20 miles east of New York, officials said. authorities.
Suffolk County Police said the single-engine plane took off from the same airport at 2.18am and shortly after the pilot sounded an emergency signal, reporting there was smoke in the cabin .
According to the statement, the small plane had turned around to return to the airport for an emergency landing, but crashed at 2:58 a.m. near an intersection in North Lindenhurst, a short distance from the path of Long Island Iron.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were airlifted to an area hospital in critical condition, the statement released by Police Department Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said.
Police said they withheld the names of the victims pending notification of their relatives.
The plane crashed in an area of trees and brush near the tracks, Babylon Town Supervisor Rick Schaffer said. “It’s like an intermediate zone along the tracks,” he added, referring to the impact site.
Tom Altieri told the Newsday newspaper he was getting out of his car around 3 a.m. on his way to his home in North Lindenhurst when he saw a plane flying abnormally “low and slow”. Seconds after seeing it pass overhead, he heard “a fairly loud explosion”, followed by a plume of smoke.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and responded to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.