Long Island Plane Crash Leaves 2 Dead [Video]
Authorities say a small plane crashed on New York’s Long Island soon after takeoff Sunday, killing two people on board and injuring a third.
According to ABC7, the plane, a Socata TB10, had just taken off from Brookhaven Calabro Airport at noon and traveled about a mile when it plummeted into a residential neighborhood, struck an oak tree, crashed into a dumpster, and exploded into a ball of fire.
Police identified one of those killed as Jane Unhjem, 60, of Goshen, New York but the identity of a man who died in the crash had not been released.
Jane’s husband, Erik Unhjem, 61, also of Goshen, was hospitalized in serious condition.
“The husband was standing over his wife, just crying over his wife,” one witness told the NY Daily newspaper. “We helped them get away from the plane before there was another explosion.”
The National Transportation Safety Board began its on-site investigation of the crash on Monday. Federal investigators will document the wreckage on scene before turning the site over to local authorities, officials said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine aircraft, known as a tobago by those in the aviation industry, is registered to a man in Orlando, Florida. It had been at the Brookhaven Airport for the past month.
The FAA didn’t immediately release the plane’s identification number or owner’s name, saying those would be disclosed once authorities confirmed the condition of those on the ground.
ABC has more on the tragic Long Island plane crash in the video below:
