Small Plane Crashes on Martha’s Vineyard After Pilot Suffers Medical Emergency
A small plane crashed while attempting to land at Martha’s Vineyard Airport on Saturday, after the pilot experienced a medical emergency onboard. The incident occurred at around 3:12 p.m., according to West Tisbury police.
The aircraft involved was a Piper Meridian Turbo Prop 6 seat plane, which reportedly landed in a grassy area near the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that two people were onboard the single-engine Piper-46 when it crashed during landing.
State and local police revealed that the pilot, identified as a 79-year-old man, suffered a medical episode while approaching the airport. This forced the passenger, a 68-year-old woman, to take control of the aircraft. Despite her efforts to land the plane, a hard landing outside the runway caused the left wing of the aircraft to break in half.
Local police described the incident as the plane landing on its belly without landing gear, resulting in the pilot having to be extricated from the wreckage. Both the pilot and the passenger were transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, where the man was later flown by medical helicopter to Boston for further treatment. State police stated that he is currently in serious, life-threatening condition. The woman, on the other hand, did not sustain any injuries and was evaluated at the hospital before being released.
Authorities have not released the names of the individuals involved, but they confirmed that both the pilot and the passenger are from Connecticut. West Tisbury police reported that the airport had reopened the short runway and was gradually resuming operations on Saturday. State police later announced that the scene had been cleared.
The 2006 Piper Meridian aircraft has been moved to a secure location at the airport, according to state police. It had departed from Westchester, New York, earlier on Saturday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the crash, with assistance from Massachusetts State Police and the FAA.
The FAA stated that it will release a preliminary accident/incident report, typically by the next business day. As of now, no further information is available regarding the incident. NBC Boston has reached out to the airport for additional details.
