Latest news with #SikorskyMemorialAirport
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Pilot lands small plane in Long Island Sound, calls 911 to report location before rescue
The pilot of a small plane that was about to crash managed to land it safely in the cool, choppy waters of Long Island Sound off Connecticut and called 911 to provide his precise coordinates before the aircraft sank, authorities said Monday. The Coast Guard pulled two people wearing lifejackets from the water shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, about a half-hour after the plane went down a few miles (kilometers) off the coast of Branford, Connecticut, officials said. The survivors were treated for minor injuries and hypothermia symptoms, and brought to a hospital, the Branford Fire Department said. 'We arrived shortly after the Coast Guard,' Branford Fire Chief Thomas Mahoney said. 'The Coast Guard did a great job in responding to the area, retrieving the people out of the water before things got worse. And the pilot obviously did a really good job of landing the plane in choppy seas. Those outcomes don't always come out as well as this did.' The water temperature at the time was about 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mahoney said the seas were a choppy 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). The single-engine Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six took off from Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, shortly before 10:14 a.m. and was in the air for about 12 minutes when it went down, according to the flight-tracking company FlightAware. About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot declared an emergency and contacted air traffic controllers in New York, who directed them to try to land about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away at Tweed-New Haven Airport, according to Andrew King, a spokesperson for Avports, which manages Tweed-New Haven. Tweed-New Haven officials prepared a runway for a possible emergency landing. But air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, King said. Mahoney said after the plane went into the water, the pilot used a cellphone to call 911 and report his plane crashed into Long Island Sound and was taking on water. The aircraft was completely submerged when rescuers arrived. State and federal records indicate the plane is owned by a limited-liability company based in Newtown, Connecticut, and the company's principal is James Edwards. Edwards declined to comment Monday. The crash occurred near Outer Island, an archipelago of about two dozen islands off the Connecticut coast. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was waiting for the recovery of the aircraft to determine the level of damage before deciding whether an NTSB investigation is warranted.
Associated Press
02-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Pilot lands small plane in Long Island Sound, calls 911 to report location before rescue
The pilot of a small plane that was about to crash managed to land it safely in the cool, choppy waters of Long Island Sound off Connecticut and called 911 to provide his precise coordinates before the aircraft sank, authorities said Monday. The Coast Guard pulled two people wearing lifejackets from the water shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, about a half-hour after the plane went down a few miles (kilometers) off the coast of Branford, Connecticut, officials said. The survivors were treated for minor injuries and hypothermia symptoms, and brought to a hospital, the Branford Fire Department said. 'We arrived shortly after the Coast Guard,' Branford Fire Chief Thomas Mahoney said. 'The Coast Guard did a great job in responding to the area, retrieving the people out of the water before things got worse. And the pilot obviously did a really good job of landing the plane in choppy seas. Those outcomes don't always come out as well as this did.' The water temperature at the time was about 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mahoney said the seas were a choppy 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). The single-engine Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six took off from Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, shortly before 10:14 a.m. and was in the air for about 12 minutes when it went down, according to the flight-tracking company FlightAware. About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot declared an emergency and contacted air traffic controllers in New York, who directed them to try to land about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away at Tweed-New Haven Airport, according to Andrew King, a spokesperson for Avports, which manages Tweed-New Haven. Tweed-New Haven officials prepared a runway for a possible emergency landing. But air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, King said. Mahoney said after the plane went into the water, the pilot used a cellphone to call 911 and report his plane crashed into Long Island Sound and was taking on water. The aircraft was completely submerged when rescuers arrived. State and federal records indicate the plane is owned by a limited-liability company based in Newtown, Connecticut, and the company's principal is James Edwards. Edwards declined to comment Monday. The crash occurred near Outer Island, an archipelago of about two dozen islands off the Connecticut coast. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was waiting for the recovery of the aircraft to determine the level of damage before deciding whether an NTSB investigation is warranted.
Fox News
01-06-2025
- General
- Fox News
Coast Guard rescues 2 after small plane declares emergency, crashes near Connecticut airport
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people from the water after a small plane crashed Sunday into an island near Branford, Connecticut. A Piper PA-32 carrying two people crashed into Long Island Sound, south of Tweed New Haven Airport, just before 10:30 a.m., after declaring an emergency while in communication with New York Air Traffic Control, according to statements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airport officials. The aircraft was traveling from the Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Bridgeport to an unspecified destination, according to officials. It was about eight miles from Tweed New Haven Airport when it was redirected there for an emergency landing. The airport's control tower and ground personnel "immediately activated" its emergency response protocols and notified relevant authorities, but a short time later the plane was reported down in the water, according to airport officials. The U.S. Coast Guard said its crews rescued the two people on board, who were both in stable condition. They were taken to the Stony Creek Pier for EMS support, and later brought to a local hospital for evaluation of injuries that were not life-threatening, according to a statement from the Branford Police Department. "We are deeply relieved that both individuals were safely recovered and extend our sincere gratitude to all federal, state, and local responders for their swift and coordinated response," the airport wrote in a statement posted to X. FAA records show the plane was registered to an owner from Newtown, Connecticut. The names of the owner and the occupants have not yet been released. The FAA is investigating.
