2 Dead After Angel Flight Out Of Hanscom Field Crashes In NY
EPHRATAH, N.Y. (CBS/AP) — A small airplane operating as an Angel Flight has crashed in upstate New York, killing two passengers as investigators search for the pilot, who is missing.
The Federal Aviation Administration says the flight originated in Massachusetts and crashed about a half-mile west of Caroga, N.Y., just after 5 p.m. Friday.
Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey said most of the Piper PA 34 aircraft was submerged in a large pond in a wooded area in Ephratah, about an hour west of Albany. He said the investigation will continue in the morning, when divers can enter the water.
The FAA said the flight departed from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Mass., and was headed to Rome, N.Y., before crashing about 57 miles to the east, near Caroga.
Lorey said the plane was affiliated with Angel Flight, a nonprofit group that facilitates volunteer pilots to transport sick patients.
Angel Flight Northeast say they are assisting authorities in Fulton County.
"Angel Flight NE staff and volunteers are tremendously saddened by this tragedy and we all offer our thoughts and prayers to the families of those affected," said Larry Camerlin, founder and president of Angel Flight Northeast. "Our volunteer pilots are the most compassionate and generous individuals who donate their time, aircraft and fuel to transport patients and loved ones for free to essential medical care that would otherwise not be readily available to them. There are no words that can adequately express our sorrow."
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