Mother Killed In LI Plane Crash, Daughter And Pilot Injured: Attorney

NORTH LINDENHURST, NY — A 63-year-old New Jersey woman was killed in a plane crash on Long Island on Sunday, alongside her 33-year-old daughter and a 23-year-old pilot who were injured, the attorney of the plane's operator told Patch.

The Piper PA 28 that took off at Republic Airport in Farmingdale at about 2:18 p.m. on Sunday carried the mother and daughter, who booked the flight through a Groupon, said Oleh N. Dekajlo, attorney for Danny Waizman Flight School at Republic Airport.

A short time later, the pilot issued a mayday signal and indicated there was smoke in the cockpit, officials said.

The plane crashed soon after near the intersection of Wellwood Avenue and 5th Street.

The 63-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

The pilot and the 33-year-old woman were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of injuries, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The experience was supposed to be a standard demonstration flight, for people who were interested in taking lessons, or just for fun, Dekajlo explained.

"These flights are very common, they're used as birthday gifts, employers give them to employees for bonuses," said Dekajlo.

He also said that Danny Waizman is a highly reputable school with strict standards.

"This specific flight school has graduated literally hundreds of pilots who go one to work for major airlines," he said.

(Photos courtesy Lance Lustig — Drop the Dime Photography)

Photos from Drop the Dime Photography show the plane in pieces on the ground, shrouded in smoke as emergency responders rushed to the scene in North Lindenhurst.

The Piper PA 28 had recently gone through a 100-hour inspection in January and a 50-hour inspection last week.

"Everything that’s done is first-rate," said Dekajlo.

As the FAA and NTSB continue to investigate the crash, Dekajlo asked others to keep the victims' families in their "thoughts and prayers."