Pilot Killed In Prince George's County Plane Crash Identified
NEW CARROLLTON, Md. (WJZ) — Maryland State Police have identified the pilot who was killed in a small plane crash in Prince George's County over the weekend.
Gordon Allen, 61, of Bronx, New York, died when his plane crashed into a New Carrollton home just minutes after taking off from the College Park Airport.
The four-seat single-engine plane crashed into a carport of a single-family home, then struck a vehicle with both the plane and vehicle catching fire. Witnesses caught the fiery aftermath of the small single-engine plane crash.
"I myself am a little bit afraid because whenever I see something like this, it could be anyone," witness Tata Tatani said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Allen was in communication with air traffic control and was being tracked by FAA radar.
"About 3 minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of 1700 feet, radar data indicates the airplane began a descending right-hand turn which continued until radar contact and radio communication was lost," said Doug Brazy with NTSB.
Allen was the only person who died in the crash, officials said, with no one being home at the time of the crash and no one on the ground injured.
At least 18 homes lost power from the crash.
NTSB briefing media on a small plane crash in Prince George's County. The pilot has been identified as 61-year-old Gordon Allen from NY. @NTSB says 3 min after take off, the airplane began descending which continued until radar communication was lost. @wjz pic.twitter.com/qAeIVbzqZK
— Rachel Menitoff (@RachelMenitoff) December 30, 2019
One day later, air safety investigators are collecting remnants from the plane, piecing together witness accounts of the crash and analyzing the weather patterns from that afternoon.
"The fire was everywhere, my backyard, front yard, flying everywhere in different directions," said neighbor Yonas Afowerky.
Afowerky lives just one house over from the home that was hit, and he said he was sitting at his dining room table when he heard an explosion.
"It could have been us if the plane was moving this way, the plane could be on my dining room table," Afowerky said.
Investigators said it's too early to know what could have caused this crash, but investigations like this usually take about 18 months to complete.