A man has died and another has been rushed to the hospital with ‘serious injuries’ after a small plane crashed on a residential street in Massachusetts.
Officials said a single-engine Mooney M20F aircraft hit the ground on Sam Fonzo Drive in Beverly, on the north-east outskirts of Boston, just before 9am on Thursday.
Chief John G. LeLacheur and Fire Chief Peter K. O’Connor said Beverly Police and Fire Departments responded to the crash, which was not far from Beverly Airport.
When they arrived, first responders found two people trapped inside the four-seater piston aircraft, which had suffered ‘significant damage’.
‘The plane appeared to be resting against a utility pole,’ Beverly Police and Fire Departments said in a joint statement released on Thursday.
‘Two men were inside the plane, a pilot and a passenger.
‘One occupant was pronounced dead on scene, and the other man was transported via medical helicopter to a hospital with serious injuries.
‘At this time, there have been no reports of any ground injuries or additional property damage in the area.’
One person has died and another has been rushed to the hospital with ‘serious injuries’ after a small plane crashed on a residential street in Beverly, close to Boston, Massachusetts
Images from the scene in Beverly, Massachusetts, show the plane laying crumpled against a utility pole, across a street surrounded by leafy woodland on either side
The main body of the plane was partly destroyed in the crash, as images from the scene show
Images from the scene show the plane laying crumpled against a utility pole, across a street surrounded by leafy woodland on either side.
It appears to be upright with the wings badly damaged. The main body of the aircraft was partially destroyed by the impact.
A witness at the airport told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) they saw a puff of smoke before the plane went down, possibly indicating engine failure.
They said they observed the plane making a ‘gradual left hand descending turn’ before crashing shortly afterwards.
Officials from the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have begun investigating the crash.
‘The preliminary information we have is the plane crashed under unknown circumstances,’ the NTSB said in a statement.
‘Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.
‘The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation,’ the agency said, adding that a preliminary investigation will be published in two weeks.
A witness at the airport told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) they saw a puff of smoke before the plane went down, possibly indicating engine failure
One man has died and another has been rushed to hospital with ‘serious injuries’ after a small plane crashed on a residential street in Beverly, on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts
Officials said a single-engine Mooney M20 aircraft hit the ground on Sam Fonzo Drive in Beverly, on the north-east outskirts of Boston, just before 9am on Thursday
‘It’s a holiday, there’s not a lot of businesses open right now,’ Beverly Police Chief John Lelacheur added while speaking with reporters.
‘We’re going to go through footage when we can with the various businesses when they open, bring some people in and then, obviously, do some follow up tomorrow.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the FAA for further information.
Danvers Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Police also assisted local responders at the scene.
The man who died and his companion have not yet been publicly identified.
It comes 11 days after six people died when a small plane plunged into the Pacific Ocean three miles west of Point Loma in San Diego.
The 1970 Cessna 414 was headed for Phoenix and crashed soon after takeoff from San Diego Airport, having earlier flown out from Arizona.
All six on board were confirmed dead by the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday morning. They included the pilot, his wife, and a father with his three sons.
Audio of chatter between the pilot and Air Traffic Control explained that the plane was struggling to maintain altitude in the moments before the crash.
The pilot said he was having trouble maintaining his heading and climbing, as he twice turned back out to shore after trying to fly towards the coast.
He told the controller he was only 1,000ft off the water and was urged to climb to 4,000ft and land at a nearby US naval airport on Coronado Island.
But the pilot said he couldn’t see the airport, and soon after issued a Mayday and lost radio contact with the ground.
Coast Guard recovery crews found a debris field and oil slick and searched the area in a Jayhawk helicopter, plane, cutter, and two small boats.
San Diego lifeguards and Border Patrol assisted with the search and recovery of debris, but found no survivors.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The owner of the plane is listed by the FAA as Optimal Health Systems, a vitamin and supplements company based in Pima, Arizona.
However, Douglas Grant, who founded the company with his wife Hilary Kit, said they sold the plane to private buyers in 2023.
A cutter and two small boats are also being used in the search
‘We personally know several of the passengers onboard and our sincerest condolences are offered to those affected by the tragedy, all of whom are incredible members of our small community,’ he said in a statement.
A surfer described seeing the out-of-control plane moments before the crash.
‘I saw him come down at an angle. He wasn’t flying straight to the ground,’ Tyson Wislofsky told NBC 7.
‘The next time he came out of the clouds, he went straight into the water. But after I saw this splash, about six seconds later, it was dead silent.
‘I knew that they went in the water, nose first, at a high speed.’
