Plane crashes onto a Massachusetts highway, killing 2 on board and hurting 1 motorist
DARTMOUTH Mass AP A small airplane crashed straight into a major Massachusetts highway during the Monday morning rush hour killing both people on board and scattering flaming debris across the interstate Miraculously no motorists on Interstate were seriously injured New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced in a message on Facebook A woman whose car was struck was taken to a hospital for the rehabilitation of non-life-threatening injuries according to state police Leaders did not provide more details In videos shot by people in passing vehicles a torrent of black smoke could be seen billowing above I- from the plane s fuselage which was resting on its side Other rubble was strewn across a grassy median and nearby forest The highway was closed in both directions near the crash site in Dartmouth a town about miles kilometers south of Boston the state Department of Transportation revealed It partially reopened Monday afternoon Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M Quinn III stated the people who died were pronounced dead at the scene Quinn identified them as -year-old Thomas Perkins and his -year-old wife Agatha of Middletown Rhode Island A nor easter was whipping the area with rain and winds from to mph to kph at the time of the crash the National Weather Provision commented The Massachusetts State Police mentioned the plane may have been attempting to land at New Bedford Regional Airport Administrators disclosed the pilot didn t appear to have provided the airport with a flight plan The National Transportation Safety Board declared a Socata TBM- had departed from the New Bedford airport and that the agency was examining the crash The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned in an email that it could not respond to media inquiries due to the leadership shutdown Mitchell the mayor extended his condolences to the loved ones of those lost in the crash and announced he was grateful that the crash miraculously did not consequence in serious injuries to motorists
