ID Released in Fatal Tweed New Haven Airport Plane Crash: UPDATE

EAST HAVEN, CT — Police have identified the man killed in Wednesday morning's airplane crash as Pablo Campos Isona, 31, of East Haven.

The first emergency call came in at 9:57 a.m. from a resident who witnessed the plane crash. It crashed about 25 yards off the southeast side of runway two at the airport.

"The plane had just taken off from Tweed New Haven Airport and reported a mayday, turning around it fell from the sky," said East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo at a noon press conference.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Few details are known about what caused the crash. The Piper PA-38 Tomahawk was equipped for dual pilot control, an NTSB official said. The mayday call was generic and didn't specify the problem.

The instructor and student were practicing standard take-off and landing procedures when the crash occurred.

A witness reported that the plane had taken a sharp dive before crashing. An NTSB official said the account was consistent with evidence at the crash scene. Debris was concentrated in one area.

There were two male occupants in the two-seat airplane. They were on a standard training exercise from the Connecticut Flight Academy. The other victim is in critical condition at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Police won't release his identity until next of kin is identified.

Emergency crews had difficulty getting to the plane after it had crashed into a marsh area with tall grass, said East Haven Fire Chief Douglas Jackson. Emergency responders had to walk about 1,500 feet into an area that is covered with 10-foot-tall grass and two feet of water and mud.

The plane is owned by International Aviation LLC. The company's president was the flight instructor involved in a fatal crash in East Hartford last year, according to the Hartford Courant. He survived and the student died.

The FAA and other agencies continue to investigate the cause of the crash and who was behind the controls.

Emergency responders from East Haven, New Haven, Branford and other agencies were at the scene.

A high-profile crash occurred near the airport in 2013 when a plane crashed into two East Haven houses. The two plane passengers along with two children in the home were killed.

"I do understand people’s concern... but I do feel this is a safe airport," Maturo said when asked about two fatal crashes within five years near the airport.

Police are asking motorists to stay off Silver Sands and Roses Farm roads to make it easier for emergency personnel.

Image via Town of East Haven