UPDATE: Small plane crashes on Shelter Island
The two people on board the small plane that crashed near Klenawicus Airfield have been identified.
Shelter Island Police Department Det. Sgt Jack Thilberg has reported that the pilot of the fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft was Michael Eli Noam, 78, of New Milford, Conn., and the passenger was Nadine Strossen, 74, also of New Milford.
There were no injuries to either person, according to Sgt. Thilberg.
The call to the Police Department came in at 12:11 p.m. and units responded to Klenawicus Airfield. Also at the scene were Shelter Island Fire Department personnel and an Emergency Medical Services crew. There, they located a 1974 Cessna 182 Skyplane, which had taken off from Danbury, Conn.
According to Sgt. Thilberg, “During the landing, the pilot made what is referred to as ‘a poor aeronautical decision.’”
Miscalculating the length of the landing strip and wind conditions, the aircraft contacted the paved portion of Burns Road, and the pilot was unable to bring the aircraft to a stop, Sgt. Thilberg reported.
Damage to the plane included a front wheel torn loose as it went over the roadway and “crashed nose-first into a grass lot,” Sgt. Thilberg added.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified of the incident and authorized the removal of the aircraft.
The FAA will make the final determination of the cause of the crash and events surrounding the incident, but the Shelter Island Police Department has determined at this time that the crash appears to be non-criminal and accidental.
Below is the original Reporter story:
A small plane crashed on Shelter Island just after noon Thursday with two passengers aboard — a husband and wife — according to Police Chief Jim Read.
No injuries to the two individuals were reported, whose flight originated from Danbury Conn., the chief said.
Apparently, from preliminary reports, the pilot landed too far up the Klenawicus Airfield runway and ran out of runway space. The plane left the field and crossed Burns Road, tearing off the front landing gear, and coming to a halt on the north side of Burns Road, Chief Read said.
Shelter Island Fire Department Chief Dan Rasmussen responded to the scene along with other firefighters. There was no danger of fire, Chief Rasmussen told the Reporter, and it seemed, from his perspective, that the two people on board were not in need of medical assistance.
This is a developing story, and the Reporter will bring you more details as they emerge.
