A passenger assumed control of a small plane and crash-landed on an island in Massachusetts, USA, after the pilot experienced a medical emergency, according to The Washington Post. The incident occurred near Martha’s Vineyard Airport in West Tisbury on Saturday afternoon. The 79-year-old male pilot fell ill during the aircraft’s final approach, as reported by the Massachusetts State Police.
The crash led to a hard landing outside the runway, resulting in the left wing of the aircraft breaking in half, stated the state police. While the authorities did not disclose the identities of the individuals involved, both were transported to a hospital. The pilot was subsequently airlifted to a Boston hospital in critical condition, while the female passenger was unharmed and released from a local hospital, as per The Post.
The 2006 Piper Meridian airplane had departed from Westchester County, New York, earlier in the afternoon. Both the pilot and passenger are residents of Connecticut, according to the police. The crash is currently being investigated by the state police, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The NTSB has taken charge of the investigation, stated an FAA spokesperson.
The aircraft has been removed from the crash site and moved to a secure location at the airport, while the crash scene has been cleared, reported The Post, citing information from the state police.
It is worth noting that this incident occurred nearly 24 years after a Piper crash claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette, and her sister Lauren Bessette off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard.
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IMAGE: BBC
