CT Woman Crash Lands Small Plane After Pilot Suffers Medical Emergency

MARTHA’S VINEYARD, Mass. — A Connecticut woman made a crash landing with a small plane Saturday afternoon at Martha’s Vineyard Airport after the pilot suffered a medical emergency, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The plane crashed around 3:15 p.m. in a grassy area near a runway at Martha’s Vineyard Airport, according to police.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates that the 79-year-old male pilot suffered a medical emergency upon final approach. The 68-year-old female passenger took the controls and tried to land the aircraft, which resulted in a “hard landing outside the runway that caused the aircraft’s left wing to break in half,” according to police.

The pilot and passenger, who are both Connecticut residents, were taken to a local hospital, according to police.

Police said the pilot was extricated from the plane and airlifted to a Boston hospital in a “serious life-threatening condition.” The passenger had minor injuries, was evaluated at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and released, according to police.

The aircraft, a 2006 Piper Meridian, departed from Westchester, New York earlier in the afternoon, according to police.

Police said the crash remains under investigation by the State Police-Oak Bluffs Barracks, the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District, and the Federal Aviation Administration.