By DAVID LEE
CRARYVILLE—Six people perished in an airplane crash on a hillside field off Two Town Road just outside the Craryville hamlet in the Town of Copake, at about noon Saturday, April 12.
The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed the number of fatalities according to a WNYT news channel 13 report.
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Jackie Salvatore gave news media on the scene a briefing in the Taconic Hills Central School District parking lot at 73 County Route 11A just before 3 p.m. The school is across the road from Two Town Road.
“We are actively investigating a fatal plane crash on Two Town Road in the Town of Copake, NY. We do not know what happened at this time. FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] is on scene and the NTSB [National Transportration Safety Board] is enroute. We estimate the investigation will take a couple of days and that’s about all we can give you right now,” the undersheiff said.
“Notification [to next of kin] has not been made so we can’t release names and [the investigation is] active and still ongoing.”
The plane is in the middle of a field and it is pretty muddy so accessibility is difficult.
On the accident scene were Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Craryville firefighters, the Community Rescue Squad, State Police and the coroner.
According to data on a Flight Tracker Map provided by the undersheriff, the aircraft was a twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 which had taken off from White Plains in Westchester County headed north when the plane swung around to the east and came down on the hillside. The weather was cloudy with intermittent light rain/mist falling at the time. The aircraft was reportedly headed for the Columbia County Airport in Ghent.
The first emergency 911 call came in around noon reporting a small plane crashed in a field. Damage to plane was described as “extensive.”
A 15-year-old boy who lives in the area told a TV news reporter he heard the crash then saw smoke from the wreckage.
Undersheriff Salvatore said, “If someone saw something we would appreciate a call or if anyone has any video, that would be extremely helpful, and you can reach us at the Sheriff’s Office at 518-828-3344.”
“Right now all access to the site is restricted,” she said.
