Community Corner
Update: Four Killed When Plane Crashes Into East Haven Home
Mother escapes from house on 64 Charter Oak Avenue but her two children do not. Pilot and passenger identified as from Seattle, Washington, according to media reports.
By Patch Editors Jenn McCulloch, Julie Weisberg, Fay Abrahamsson and Paul Petrone
A small plane crashed into a house on Charter Oak Avenue in East Haven at around 11:25 this morning, and two children who were in the home at the time were likely killed, according to East Haven's mayor.
Multiple videos of the press conference were filmed by Patch staff.
East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said at a press conference this afternoon that a mother was home with her 13-year-old and 1-year-old when the plane hit her home at 66 Charter Oak Avenue. The mother was able to get out of the house on her own, according to Maturo.
The Daily Astorian newspaper in Washington State has identified the pilot of the plane as Bill Henningsgaard, a resident of the Seattle area. The newspaper said his son was onboard the aircraft with him. The information was attributed to Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen, who was with the Henningsgaard family Friday as news spread.
The plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and was set to land in Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, according to airport manager Lori Hoffman-Soares. The plane missed its approach at Tweed but was in communication with the control tower until the crash, she said.
A small plane crashed into a house on Charter Oak Avenue in East Haven at around 11:25 this morning, and two children who were in the home at the time were likely killed, according to East Haven's mayor.
Multiple videos of the press conference were filmed by Patch staff.
East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said at a press conference this afternoon that a mother was home with her 13-year-old and 1-year-old when the plane hit her home at 66 Charter Oak Avenue. The mother was able to get out of the house on her own, according to Maturo.
The Daily Astorian newspaper in Washington State has identified the pilot of the plane as Bill Henningsgaard, a resident of the Seattle area. The newspaper said his son was onboard the aircraft with him. The information was attributed to Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen, who was with the Henningsgaard family Friday as news spread.
The plane took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and was set to land in Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, according to airport manager Lori Hoffman-Soares. The plane missed its approach at Tweed but was in communication with the control tower until the crash, she said.
The pilot showed no sense of panic, according to Hoffman-Soares. Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport has since been closed, she said. The National Transportation Safety Board has since taken over at the scene.
The home at 64 Charter Oak was damaged by fire as well. Fire departments from East Haven, New Haven, Hamden, Branford and North Branford, and possibly other towns, are on scene.
Gov. Dannel Malloy has since arrived at the scene of the plane crash and is touring the site with Maturo, according to the New Haven Register.
Gov. Dannel Malloy has since arrived at the scene of the plane crash and is touring the site with Maturo, according to the New Haven Register.
In 2009, Pilot Bill Henningsgaard and his mother were flying to Seattle when they made a crash landing into the Columbia River, where Columbia River Bar Pilots rescued the pair, the newspaper reports.
The videos attached are from a 1 p.m. press conference and give more details of the crash and recovery.Find out what's happening in Middletownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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