Westchester County Executive George Latimer (C) speaks at a press conference in White Plains, N.Y., on Jan. 20, 2023, in a still from video. (Westchester County Via AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)
Authorities say a small plane crashed near a suburban New York airport, killing the pilot and his passenger.
The single-engine Beechcraft A36 was found just before 11 p.m. Thursday in a wooded area near White Plains, said Westchester County officials.
The plane was headed from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, when the pilot reported engine trouble at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday, Federal Aviation Administration officials said in a news release.
The pilot was about a mile from the Westchester County Airport when he reported trouble.
“The pilot recognized that he had only a handful of minutes to try to bring the plane to a safe landing,”said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “He was unable to do that.”
The pilot radioed air traffic controllers to tell them the plane was approaching the White Plains airport, but then went silent, said Westchester police spokesperson Kieran O’Leary.
Emergency responders including Westchester police and firefighters combed through the woods and a nearby reservoir for the plane.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
