'Recovery Effort' To Commence After Plane Crash, 2 Still Missing

AMAGANSETT, NY — The search for two still missing after a tragic plane crash off Amagansett Saturday is now considered a recovery effort, officials said Monday.

According to Lt. Alaina Fagan, public affairs officer for Coast Guard sector Long Island Sound, the Coast Guard "has suspended its active search for missing people and shifted to recovery, as opposed to search and rescue."

The East Hampton Police Department's dive team, Fagan said, will go out later this week to search for the missing among the fuselage; there are no plans for the dive team to go out Monday, until the weather calms down, she said.

The USCG, she said, stands ready to assist EHTPD in regard to security and safety as needed, for the search.

"Unfortunately, at this time, this operation is now considered a recovery effort. The East Hampton Town Police Department has taken over from the Coast Guard as per standard protocols," East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said.

Police are monitoring the weather, and have prepared all assets to return to the water as soon as conditions allow, he said.

Two East Hampton Town marine patrol vessels, and the East End Marine Law Enforcement Task force vessel, all equipped with side scan sonars, stand ready to return to the search area, he said.

Police Dive teams from EHTPD, Southampton Town and New York State Police will be on stand by should wreckage be located, Sarlo said.

Sea Tow, with commercial salvage equipment and divers, will be brought in for any salvage recovery efforts, Sarlo said.

Assistance from the air will be provided by USCG, as well. "We are coordinating recovery scenarios and have operations plans in place," Sarlo said. Land based patrols along the shoreline will continue uninterrupted regardless of weather, he said.

Police have requested that commercial fishing vessels refrain from any dragging or deployment of lines in the general search area.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will continue their investigation into the cause of the crash and the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office will continue investigating cause of death and identity of the victims, he said.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all those involved in this tragic accident," Sarlo said.

On Sunday, the USCG said it had suspended its sea search for two still missing after a Saturday plane crash off Amagansett until conditions improved, police said.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the Piper Navajo and its two remaining occupants due to rapidly deteriorating sea conditions; land based searches by law enforcement were slated to continue until sea conditions improved and the safe deployment of East Hampton Town marine patrol vessels was possible, police said.

Police identified all four aboard the private plane that crashed off Amagansett in a thunderstorm Saturday afternoon.

Onboard were Bernard Krupinski, 70, and his wife Bonnie Krupinksi, 70, of East Hampton, the couple's grandson William Maerov, 22, of East Hampton, and pilot Jon Dollard, 47, of Hampton Bays, police said.

Two bodies have been recovered and two are still missing, police said. The names of those found are being withheld until they are identified by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office.

The private plane failed to land as expected and the debris field was found a short time later, police said. The cause of the crash is being investigated with the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration; severe weather including thunderstorms was reported at the time of the crash.

The search was suspended Saturday night until daybreak Sunday, when it resumed before being suspended again Sunday afternoon, police said.

Famed "builder to the stars" Ben Krupinski and his wife were mourned on the East End as the heartbreaking news spread.

The tragedy rocked the East End and the world, with mourners sharing their collective grief for those lost, including the Krupsinskis, well-known on the East End for their lives of caring and philanthropy.

Sarlo said the two bodies were recovered from the water and brought to shore by East Hampton town lifeguard jet skis.

A crowd of concerned residents, reportedly including Alec Baldwin, watched the rescue efforts from the beach Saturday.

Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, homeported in Montauk, recovered the second person from the water near the crash site off the shore of Indian Wells Beach, the USCG said.

Earlier Saturday afternoon East Hampton lifeguards located and recovered the first person from the aircraft, and assets on scene searched for two more missing people, the USCG said.

"We are stricken by this loss," said Capt. Kevin B. Reed, commander Sector Long Island Sound. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and loved ones of the two recovered individuals."

The Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with the aircraft at 2:33 p.m. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a call at approximately 2:50 p.m. reporting a small plane had crashed about a mile off of Indian Wells Beach. The USCG reported a debris field, one mile off the beach in Amagansett, she said.

Coast Guard rescue crews were on scene conducting searches for survivors along with local agencies, fishing vessels, and shore units.

"A small aircraft crashed approximately two miles off the shore of Long Island near Indian Wells Beach, Amagansett, NY today at 3:20 p.m.," the FAA said in a statement.

Family and friends responded to East Hampton airport, police said, adding that the investigation was ongoing.

Assets involved in the search included Air National Guard MH-60 aircrew, Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod, Coast Guard Station Montauk, Coast Guard Station Shinnecock, East Hampton Police, East Hampton lifeguards, Suffolk County Police and aviation and local commercial fishing vessels, the USCG said.

Residents in the area reported the sudden deluge of rain that fell in the area around the time of the crash.

The cause of the crash, which came just three days after a pilot was killed when a stunt plane crashed on Long Island, is under investigation.

Patch courtesy photo of rescue scene by Donna Liebowitz.