01-08-2025
Victim of Block Island plane crash identified as NY legislator; investigation begins
A New York county legislator was fatally injured when a small plane crashed on Block Island on Wednesday, July 30.
Two people flying with Daniel Wilson, 76, of Amsterdam, New York, were seriously injured in the crash just after noon, according to Block Island Police Chief Paul Deane.
Wilson's death was announced by Montgomery County, New York, Executive Pete Vroman, who described Wilson as "smart and patient" and "humble" in an online post that also mentioned Wilson's long career as a civil engineer.
'He was always thinking of ways to assist others and truly defined what it means to be a community servant," Vroman said in the statement.
Deane identified the other passenger aboard the plane as a 77-year-old woman from Clifton Park, New York, and the pilot as an 87-year-old man from Mechanicville, New York.
The passenger was not as seriously injured as the pilot, Deane said, adding that both patients were expected to recover. He had no updates on their medical conditions.
Police chief: It appears two passes at runway preceded landing attempt and crash
It appears the plane made two passes at the runway, then attempted a landing on the third pass and ran out of runway, Deane said.
An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board is on the way to the crash site, Deane said on July 31.
The scene of the crash was in a densely vegetated area off the east end of the runway at Block Island State Airport, Deane said.
Firefighters and rescuers had to cut through the thick brush to reach the fuselage of the plane.
It took about 45 minutes to reach the plane and extricate the survivors.
All three occupants were brought to Block Island Medical Center. The two survivors were returned to the airport and airlifted to medical care off the island, Deane said.
Plane owned by a flying club
The trio flew together with some regularity, Deane said, adding that they were friends and they liked to fly to a destination, have some lunch and then fly home.
The plane is among five aircraft collectively owned by Condair Flyers Inc., an organization with 75 members based in Albany, New York, Condair's executive secretary, Brian Saez, said in an email.
The website for Condair Flyers describes the organization as a not-for-profit flying club based at Albany International Airport.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Block Island plane crash victim identified as Daniel Wilson of NY
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