LI pilot in crash reported engine trouble

The Long Island pilot of a small plane reported that it was losing oil pressure and the engine was running rough just before it crashed near Westbrook, Conn., earlier this month, killing the pilot and injuring the passenger, according to a federal report.

The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board did not give a cause for the crash but noted that there was engine oil on the underside of the fuselage and tail of the wreckage.

The pilot, Peter Bendzlowicz Jr., 74, of Wading River, was killed in the June 10 accident. His passenger, Arthur Szu, 61, of Amityville, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released.

Both men were licensed pilots, the report said, and Bendzlowicz was at the controls.

"One of the pilots reported on the emergency frequency . . . that the airplane was about 7 miles south of Chester Airport," the NTSB report said.

"The pilot further stated that the engine was running rough and losing oil pressure, and that they were performing a forced landing into woods. No further communication was received from the accident airplane," the report said. The NTSB gave no date for completing its final report.

The plane took off from Brookhaven Airport in Shirley about 2 p.m. that Friday, headed for Windham Airport in Willimantic, Conn. The wreckage was found in a wooded area about 3 miles south of the Chester Airport.

The report said there was a debris path of about 150 feet, that the right wingtip was in a tree about 70 feet above the ground, and the tail broke away from the fuselage, which came to rest upside down.