Plane crashes into Beth Moses Cemetery in Pinelawn; two hurt
The pilot and his passenger were injured when their plane went down at Beth Moses Cemetery in West Babylon on Saturday, police said. Credit: Rick Kopstein
A plane crashed Saturday afternoon into a row of gravestones at Beth Moses Cemetery in Pinelawn, and the pilot and his passenger were brought to the hospital with minor injuries, according to authorities.
Engine problems about a mile northeast of Republic Airport in East Farmingdale led the pilot to make an emergency landing at about 1:45 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac. That agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, she said.
The plane was en route to Republic from Burlington, Vermont, according to the website FlightAware.
Specifics of the injuries, the names of those involved and what may have caused the crash weren't disclosed.
The two people aboard — a male pilot and his adult female passenger — were brought to Good Samaritan University Hospital, according to an email from Jamie R. Atkinson, deputy coordinator with Suffolk County's Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, which responded to the crash scene.
Photos from the scene show the plane, with the nose angled down and at least one wing apparently broken; nearby, the propeller blades and hub are strewn on top of shrubs and dirt.
Among the 40 responders were personnel from the East Farmingdale Fire Department and Republic Fire Rescue, Atkinson wrote.
The plane took off at 12:16 p.m. Saturday from Burlington International Airport in Vermont and was bound for Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, the website FlightAware says. Credit: Rick Kopstein
The plane had taken off at 12:16 p.m. from Burlington International Airport. It was due to land at 1:20 p.m., according to FlightAware.
The plane's altitude was 20,000 feet just before it began its descent — it was flown south, over New York, Connecticut and Long Island Sound — and had been traveling about 104 mph just before the crash, according to FlightAware.
According to the FAA's online database, the plane is a Beech B-60 fixed-wing, twin-engine aircraft, built in 1973 and registered in Burlington. The owner's name is listed as "registration pending."
The cemetery was closed Saturday, and a voicemail message wasn't returned.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
