According to the Vermont State Police, a small plane crash in Ferrisburgh, near Lake Champlain, has claimed the lives of four individuals. The wreckage of the four-seat Piper aircraft was discovered in a wooded area of Ferrisburgh around 12:20 a.m. on Monday. All four occupants of the plane were confirmed dead by first responders. The victims’ bodies have been taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to determine the cause and manner of their deaths. The identities of the victims are being withheld pending further investigation and notification of their relatives.
Preliminary findings suggest that the privately owned aircraft departed Windham Airport in Connecticut at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, with a two-hour flight planned to Basin Harbor Airport. The individuals on board had arrived for a brunch reservation at Basin Harbor Resort and left the restaurant shortly after noon. They were scheduled to fly back to Connecticut. A witness reported seeing the airplane on the runway at around 12:15 p.m. on Sunday.
No reports of a plane crash or distress signal were received. However, relatives of the passengers informed the Connecticut State Police and Middletown Police Department that the plane had failed to return as expected. Collaborating with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Connecticut authorities used cellphone location data to determine the plane’s last known location, which was near the Vermont airstrip. Middletown police officers subsequently alerted the Vermont State Police about the situation at approximately 10:20 p.m. on Sunday.
Troopers from the New Haven Barracks, along with members of the Middlebury Police Department and Ferrisburgh Fire Department, promptly responded to the area where the plane was last seen. Utilizing a drone operated by Middlebury police officers, the wreckage was located. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash, while the Vermont State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations is handling the death investigation.
According to the Vermont State Police, a small plane crash in a Vermont town near Lake Champlain has resulted in the loss of four lives.
The wreckage of the four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft was discovered by investigators at approximately 12:20 a.m. on Monday. It was found in a wooded area of Ferrisburgh, located to the east of the Basin Harbor Airport.
The identities of the victims are currently being withheld by officials from the Vermont State Police. This is to allow for further investigation and to ensure that the relatives of the victims are properly notified.
The initial investigation suggests that the privately owned aircraft took off from Windham Airport in Connecticut around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday for a two-hour flight to Basin Harbor Airport.
At around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday, Middletown police officers reached out to the Vermont State Police to report the incident. Responding to the call, troopers from the New Haven Barracks, along with members of the Middlebury Police Department and Ferrisburgh Fire Department, swiftly made their way to the vicinity where the plane was last seen. Utilizing a drone operated by Middlebury police officers, the wreckage was eventually located, as confirmed by the state police.
The cause of the plane crash is currently under investigation by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board. Additionally, the Vermont State Police’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations is conducting an investigation into the deaths.