Crime & Safety
Former Sikorsky President's Plane in Nose Dive Before Crash
A pilot known as 'The Mayor of Oxford Airport, was killed in a crash in Arizona, along with the former president of Sikorsky.
Two witnesses reportedly saw an airplane in flying in a downward spiral before crashing, killing former Sikorsky Aircraft president Jeffrey Pino and Brookfield native Nickolas Tramontano, according to The News Times.
Witnesses told the Federal Aviation Association that they saw the restored World War II vintage fighter plane in a dive before crashing about 15 miles south of Phoenix, AZ.
Pino, 61, was president of Sikorsky in Stratford for six years.
“The Sikorsky family is saddened to learn of the sudden loss of former President Jeff Pino. We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers of sympathy and support to his family and friends during this difficult time,” current Sikorsky president Dan Schultz said in a statement.
Nickolas Tramontano, 72, was also a pilot for three decades, according to In Maricopa.com. His friend, Capt. Ken Kahn, told the paper that he owned a World War II-era Beechcraft Model 18. The Brookfielder brought the plane to Sikorsky Memorial Airport shortly after the tragic school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, and let the children tour the vintage aircraft.
Tramontano was known as “The Mayor of Oxford Airport,” according to The News Times.
Click here to read more in The News Times.
Editor’s note: The plane pictured is not the one flown in the crash. It is a similar, Avro Lancaster KB 882 Type 10 A.R., World War II era airplane.
Photo by Dennis Jarvis via Flickr Creative Commons
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