1 dead, 2 hospitalized in Long Island passenger plane crash
One person died and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries in the crash of a passenger plane in Long Island, New York, on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The crash, about 20 miles east of New York, was reported after 3 p.m. when air traffic controllers received the Mayday report from the small plane that there was smoke in the cockpit, the official said. Suffolk County Police Chief of Detectives John Rowan at a press conference.
One of the three people on board had died at the scene; the other two suffered what Rowan described as significant injuries. They were rushed to hospital by medical helicopter, he said.
Conditions for survivors were not available, Rowan said. Babylon City Supervisor Rich Shaffer said he believed the two suffered serious injuries.
The wreckage was in brush and woods near the Long Island train tracks, Shaffer told NBC New York. The plane missed an adjacent neighborhood, he said.
The plane is a single-engine Piper PA 28, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. It was approaching Republic Airport in nearby Farmingdale when it crashed, the agency said.
Rowan said the plane was being used for a sightseeing tour and was attempting its final approach for a landing when it crashed.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
The identities of those on board were not immediately available. No injuries on the ground were reported.