EASTON, Mass., Aug. 12, 2008
Plane Down In Mass. Parking Lot, 3 Die
2nd Fatal Crash For Cancer Patient Courier Service
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Scene of a small plane crash in Easton, Mass., Aug. 12, 2008. (CBS)
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Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the three were on board the single engine Beechcraft Bonanza when it went down in the parking lot at a Hannaford grocery store at about 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
The plane was being operated by Angel Flight Northeast, a group of volunteer pilots that helps people who need to travel for medical treatment, but can't afford it.
Amy Camerlin, a spokeswoman for the organization, said a cancer patient and his wife were being flown to Logan International Airport in Boston so the man could be treated at the nearby Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It crashed in Easton, about 25 miles south of Boston.
"Right now our primary concern is the family," Camerlin said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
It's the second fatal crash of an Angel Flight plane in less than a month. On July 17, an Angel Flight plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Tampa, Fla., killing all three on board, including a 49-year-old cancer patient, a 15-year-old boy and the 81-year-old pilot.
In a statement, Angel Flight Northeast said it had safely flown more than 53,000 people to medical care on 30,000 flights.
Deputy Police Chief Allen Krajcik, said he was in his cruiser Tuesday when he spotted the plane flying at a low altitude just before it dropped out of the sky.
"The plane just did a nosedive, straight down to the pavement," he said
The plane's propellor was found about 50 yards from the crash site. Krajcik said it was uncertain whether it fell off or flew there on impact. Federal investigators are expected to arrive at the scene Wednesday.
The bodies were burned beyond recognition, and dental records may be needed to identify the victims, said Easton Fire Chief Thomas Stone.
Peters said the plane, which was built in 1956, took off from Westhampton Beach on Long Island, N.Y., and was carrying the pilot and a Long Island couple. Peters did not identify the victims.
The registered owner of the plane is Janet Keene of Brookfield, Conn., but she was not on board, according to her husband Kenneth Keene, who called the crash "a disaster."
Kenneth Keene said his wife inherited the plane and sometimes hired a pilot so they could use it recreationally, since neither of them could fly it. He said the plane was used by Angel Flight about once a month and he knew about no problems with the aircraft.
The plane crashed about 500 feet across from the Hannaford entrance, near a road leading out of the lot. Firefighters and fire trucks surrounded the wreckage, where charred wings stuck from the rest of the debris, which was covered in white cloth Tuesday afternoon.
Store manager Arthur Dechellis said the plane crashed in an area where people rarely park and no cars were hit.
Patricia Desgrosseilliers, manager Bank of Easton, near the crash site, said she heard a crash, then saw the plane burning.
"The flame was very tall, very high," she said. "There was a lot of smoke, thick black smoke. ... Everybody was pretty much horrified."
Ashmita Kohli, an employee of a Quizno's in the plaza, told CBS station WBZ she saw at least one body at the scene.
"You could hear a plane then a big boom," she said. "It looks like a movie set right now."
Kholi said the plane was engulfed in flames.
Mansfield Airport is located nearby. Officials there had no comment.
The plaza is home to Hannford's, Quizno's, as well as Target and T.J. Maxx department stores.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 36 Comments
- Age may have something to do with it. But you can''t put every 10 or 80 year old in the same category. In fact I feel that if you are an active/ athletic person your health will stay with you well into your elder years. Granted there are a few bad seeds who are going blind, and probably should not be flying. Is this any different than the overweight 50 y.o. with a stressful job who may drop of a heart attack at any given moment.
Rather than age related I wonder if this accident has anything to do with the economic downturn. With the price of gas on the rise aircraft owners are begining to fly less and this MAY have an impact on pilot proficiency. - Reply to this comment
- I had heard about a 2 seat Cessna that crashed into a cemetary. Confused rescuers have found 137 bodies so far, more are expected.
- Reply to this comment
- --not that persons that old cannot "live" but their right to live, is limited severely within certain constraints--like they should not be allowed to do anything that could endanger others due to their actions. Mental acuity does decrease with age--this is a fact.
Posted by toldyouso12 at 11:37 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Look at your statement and give me a ''cut off'' age. I was born before WWII, But I still ride a Motorcycle, fly a Plane, drive a car, truck, dirtbike and anything else I ever learned to do. I can probably out swim, out run and react faster than you unless you are a constantly exercising person. what is my cut off date? What day should I give up everything but breathing when someone else is around? Simply saying that older people are more likely to......(anything) than a younger person is an injustice to them and later to your self. every individual is different from another. Thats what makes us unique in our individuality. You cannot pigeon hole anybody, even the impaired. - Reply to this comment
- Supposedly, if a man lived to be 1000, then God would allow such a man to live forever. We can''''t even make it to 150 these days.
Posted by toldyouso12 at 11:40 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Gee, what a deal! It''s like saying if you make your first $1 billion, somebody will you another $10 billion. - Reply to this comment
- People didn''''''''t live to a 1000 years old to todays time standards.
Posted by ebma1 at 06:25 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Sez who?
Posted by ToolMangler at 08:25 PM : Aug 12, 2008
The bible states that Methuselah was the oldest man in the world and he lived to be just short of 1000. WAsn''t it 965 or something like that. Supposedly, if a man lived to be 1000, then God would allow such a man to live forever. We can''t even make it to 150 these days. - Reply to this comment
- Sez who, At what age should we (pilots, Motorcycle riders, Car drivers, Sky Divers, Scuba divers, ect suposed to quit living? If planes and things only crashed/wrecked/broke or killed was when people over a certain age were operating them then that statement might have validity. To the best of my knowledge things only go ''''wrong'''' when a human being (of any age) is involved with them. If left alone by humans, everything in the Universe will unfold exactly the way it should.
Posted by ToolMangler at 05:20 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Old people cause more life destroying accidents than any other group. When a persons mental and physical faculties can be impaired simply by dint of age, it is time to not put them in the position of driving, flying, etc--not that persons that old cannot "live" but their right to live, is limited severely within certain constraints--like they should not be allowed to do anything that could endanger others due to their actions. Mental acuity does decrease with age--this is a fact. - Reply to this comment
- "Right now our primary concern is the family," Camerlin said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."
What family? Both the husband and wife were killed in the plane accident--this, by the way is the second such accident of its nature within the past month. (medical plane crashing and killing everyone on board) Maybe volunteer pilots is not the best way to go. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by newster1 at 08:51 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Follow the comment line back a few pagess and see where it all started, I was here before ''Rick'' was. If you weren''t a ''newster1'' you would know that. - Reply to this comment
- Why would you want even 35 years in this hell-hole of a purgatory called earth when your alleged perfect paradise awaits???
Posted by newster1 at 08:47 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Because I will go when GOD is ready for me, not before. (besides I have already died once like a lot of people but he wasn''t serious about me going right then) - Reply to this comment
- According to the Bible, *** created the first humans%u2014Adam and Steve%u2014without sin and with the ability to live forever.
Posted by ToolMangler
Oh yeah right, imagine what this planet would be like NOW of everyone lived 1,000 years as you claim, it would be 1000 times worse than life depicted in Soylent Green or Logan''s Run.
Be that as it may, what the phux does your buybull have to do with the subject of this NEWS STORY about a plane crash RICK? - Reply to this comment
- Adam dies at 930 930 0+930 Gen 5:5
- Reply to this comment
- An 81 year old pilot in a different crash?? 81 flying a plane???!!!!
a 1956 plane?? no wonder!
"It use to be over a thousand years, But 35 will suffice if thats all I have.
Posted by ToolMangler
Why would you want even 35 years in this hell-hole of a purgatory called earth when your alleged perfect paradise awaits??? - Reply to this comment
- Since Seth is born when Adam is 130, this formula is simple. This will be repeated very often, especially at this part of history, because of the tendency to mention the father''s age at the time of the son''s birth. Here are some more of these:
Event, Years AAC, Formula and ReferencesEnosh born, Seth is 105 235 130+105 Gen 5:6
Kenan born, Enosh is 90 325 235 90 Gen 5:9
Mahalalel born, Kenan is 70 395 325 70 Gen 5:12
Jared born, Mahalalel is 65 460 395 65 Gen 5:15
Enoch born, Jared is 162 622 460 162 Gen 5:18
Methuselah born, Enoch is 65 687 622 65 Gen 5:21
Lamech born, Methuselah is 187 874 687 187 Gen 5:25
Those all are easy. Next we have the first recorded death of a ''patriarch''. This is not the first death (remember Cain and Abel?), but the first one where the sequence of time is available. Since Adam''s age is given at his death, and because we know what year he was ''born'', this is the easy death. Notice that eight generations of his descendents were - Reply to this comment
- the early patriarchs often lived to be nearly 1,000 years old and even had children when they were several hundred years old! Similar claims of long life spans are found in the secular literature of several ancient cultures (including the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Indians, and Chinese). But even a life span of nearly 1,000 years is sadly abbreviated when we consider that God initially created us to live forever.
According to the Bible, God created the first humans%u2014Adam and Eve%u2014without sin and with the ability to live forever. - Reply to this comment
- see if you can figure out how old Adam lived to be
- Reply to this comment
- If left alone by humans, everything in the Universe will unfold exactly the way it should.
Posted by ToolMangler at 05:20 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Well,,yes,,, but if you put Bush into the mix,,he will find a way to muck it up. Big time!!
Posted by slim1h2o at 05:46 PM : Aug 12, 2008
LOL not pertinent to the story but still funny - Reply to this comment
- People didn''''t live to a 1000 years old to todays time standards.
Posted by ebma1 at 06:25 PM : Aug 12, 2008
Sez who? - Reply to this comment
- The only reason people are said to have lived to a 1000 years old is because time was calculated differently in biblical times. People didn''t live to a 1000 years old to todays time standards.
- Reply to this comment
- A life span of over a thousand years? What are you an alien? No HUMAN has EVER had that kind of life exectancy so you must not be human at all!
Posted by mainemade at 06:05 PM : Aug 12, 2008
You believe nothing the Bible says, so don''t worry about where I come from - Reply to this comment
- Are you OK with a average life span of 35 years
Posted by sepa2 at 05:49 PM : Aug 12, 2008
It use to be over a thousand years, But 35 will suffice if thats all I have.
Posted by ToolMangler at 05:55 PM : Aug 12, 2008
A life span of over a thousand years? What are you an alien? No HUMAN has EVER had that kind of life exectancy so you must not be human at all! - Reply to this comment
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