Norwalk Man Dies Days After Plane Crashes At Martha’s Vineyard Airport

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass. — Randolph Bonnist, 79, of Norwalk died several days after a plane he was piloting crashed at Martha's Vineyard Airport, according to Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J Galibois.

Bonnist was piloting the plane on July 15 when it crashed, and he later died on Thursday, July 20 while at Boston Medical Center, officials announced. His wife, Robin Bonnist, who was a passenger, was uninjured.

The FAA and NTSB are both investigating the cause of the crash. No foul play is suspected, officials said Friday.

Authorities in Massachusetts previously said at the time of the accident that a Connecticut woman made a crash landing with a small plane Saturday afternoon (July 15) at Martha’s Vineyard Airport after the pilot suffered a medical emergency.

The plane crashed around 3:15 p.m. in a grassy area near a runway at Martha’s Vineyard Airport, according to police.

Police said at the time that a preliminary investigation indicates that the 79-year-old male pilot suffered a medical emergency upon final approach. The 68-year-old female passenger took the controls and tried to land the aircraft, which resulted in a “hard landing outside the runway that caused the aircraft’s left wing to break in half,” according to police.

The pilot and passenger, who are both Connecticut residents, were taken to a local hospital, according to police.

Police said the pilot was extricated from the plane and airlifted to a Boston hospital in a “serious life-threatening condition.” The passenger had minor injuries, was evaluated at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and released, according to police.

The aircraft, a 2006 Piper Meridian, departed from Westchester, New York earlier in the afternoon, according to police.