WINDHAM, Conn. (AP) – A small plane crashed Sunday near a highway in eastern Connecticut and caught on fire, killing two people on board, officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and state police said.
FAA spokeswoman Holly Baker said the small plane went down adjacent to U.S. 6 near Windham Airport shortly before 4 p.m. The fire damage was so severe that the plane’s tail number initially could not be read and tracked to determine the owner, she said.
Connecticut state police spokesman Trooper William Tate said the plane was attempting to land on a runway at 3:43 p.m. when its pilot aborted the landing for an unknown reason. The plane turned around, collided with trees, crashed near the road’s shoulder and caught on fire.
FAA inspectors were working with airport officials later Sunday to determine who piloted the plane and other details. Tate said later Sunday that they determined who owns the plane, but that they do not know if that person was among the two people killed.
The bodies were expected to be taken Sunday night to the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner in Farmington, and their names would be released after autopsies confirmed their identities, Tate said.
Inspectors from the National Transportation Safety Board also have been called in to investigate. No injuries were reported on the ground.
David Duffany of Willimantic, who was at a nearby store, told WTNH-Channel 8 that he became worried when he saw the plane flying barely 20 feet above the tree line.
As it dipped, he said, he called 911 and began running in that direction. It crashed within a few feet of the road, just beyond the guard rail, within sight of the airport.
“I watched the whole thing. I seen it go down,” Duffany said. “I jumped over the guardrail, I went down the bank to see if I could help anyone, but I didn’t even see anyone.”
He also said he did not hear any cries for help. Two off-duty police officers shopping at a nearby Home Depot also ran to the scene to help, Tate said.
Several witnesses said they heard a series of small explosions as the plane burned, and fire crews were called to douse blazes in adjacent bushes and trees.
U.S. 6 connects the Hartford region to eastern Connecticut and continues to Providence, R.I. Portions of the road are congested business districts, while other parts are rural.
The airport, which is three miles north of Windham and 30 miles east of Hartford, is operated by the state Department of Transportation. It has two runways and is used by planes for charter service, private flights and lessons. It is not open to commercial jets.
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