Fiery Plane Crash Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Critically Injured In Long Island Neighborhood
NORTH LINDENHURST, NY - A fiery small plane crash in a residential neighborhood left one person dead and two others on board with critical injuries on Sunday afternoon. The plane crashed just feet away from a backyard playset.
At 2:58PM, east of Wellwood Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets, first responders rushed to the scene of a small plane that had crashed into the North Lindenhurst, New York neighborhood. The plane burst into flames upon crashing and sent billows of black smoke into the air.
Officials say that the single-engine Piper PA 28 took off from Republic Airport with three people onboard at 2:18PM. A short time later, the pilot sent out a mayday signal and advised that there was smoke inside of the aircraft’s cockpit.
The aircraft then turned back towards the airport and was forced to make an emergency landing before crashing into the North Lindenhurst residential neighborhood, just 300 feet short of a Long Island Railroad track, according to Suffolk County Police.
Police say that one person was pronounced dead at the scene of the plane crash, while two others were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition. The two victims suffered serious burns.
The identities of the victims involved are being withheld by police until the families can be notified.
The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene and will be conducting an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the crash and all events leading up to it.
On March 6, Suffolk County Police released the identities of the victims involved. Officials say that Roma Gupta, 63, of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey was killed in the plane crash. Her daughter, Reeva Gupta, 33, of St. Davids, Pennsylvania still remains in critical condition.
Officials identified the pilot as Fayzul Chowdhury, 23, of The Bronx, New York. He also remains in a critical condition.
According to the attorney for the Danny Waizman Flight School at Republic Airport, the mother and daughter booked a flight demonstration with the school through Groupon. The attorney went on to say that the flights are very common and that it was a standard demonstration.