A small plane flying from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, crashed in Armonk, New York, Thursday evening shortly after takeoff.
Two occupants were on board. Both were reported killed in the crash.
The plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza BE36, took off from JFK at 4:58 p.m. The pilot reported to air traffic control at JFK that he had a warning light for low oil pressure at 5:25 p.m. and was told to proceed to Westchester County Airport.
Controllers at Westchester County Airport lost contact with the aircraft at 5:30 p.m. and the plane disappeared from radar.
Westchester County spokesman Catherine Cioffi said search and rescue efforts began at 5:38 p.m.
The search began in the area of the airport and over the Connecticut border into Greenwich, Kieren O’Leary, a county spokesman, told reporters. Dive teams were staged due to the airport’s proximity to Rye Lake and the reservoir. Rescue began immediately with airport operations, Westchester County Police and the Department of Emergency Services in addition to multiple area fire departments.
The single-engine plane’s pilot, Boruch Taub, and the sole passenger on board, Ben Chafetz, were found dead overnight near the wreckage of the plane in a wooded area near the airport, Cioffi confirmed Friday morning. Both men were from Cleveland.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement on Twitter Friday that it had opened an investigation into the crash.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
