Wing Broke Off, Plane Nosedived In Hamptons Crash: NTSB

QUOGUE, NY — A plane that crashed off Quogue earlier this month, killing all three onboard, broke apart while in flight, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

According to the report, the crash, which took place on Oct. 13 at 11 a.m., involved a Pipe PA-34 plane, which was "substantially damaged when it experienced an in-flight breakup" and plunged into the Atlantic, killing pilot Munidat "Raj" Persaud, 41, of Waterbury, CT, and passengers Jennifer Landrum, 45, of Augusta, GA and Richard P. Terbrusch, 53, of Ridgefield, CT.

The report stated that the flight, which originated from Danbury Municipal Airport, was headed to Charleston, South Carolina when the pilot said he was using visual flight rules, or flying visually and trying to maintain visual navigation without instruments, having trouble with an "unreliable" altitude indicator.

The controller then declared an emergency on behalf of the airplane, and suggested the pilot head toward Westchester County Airport; the pilot then asked the controller for the height of the cloud tops, and the controller replied the last reports were at 19,000 ft., the report said.

The pilot subsequently replied that the airplane would be climbing to 19,000 ft. As the airplane continued on a southeasterly heading, the pilot stated to the controller that the airplane was on top of the clouds, and that he would not be able to descend below the clouds, the report said; the controller instructed the airplane to turn west, though the airplane continued southeast.

"About two minutes later, after the controller repeated the instruction to turn west, the airplane entered a figure-eight turn and began to descend rapidly. Radio and radar contact was lost shortly thereafter," the report said.

A witness near the crash site reported seeing the airplane "nosedive" from out of the clouds and into the ocean after hearing the engine "throttle up severely and wind back down" several times. A second witness stated that the airplane sounded "as if it were a stunt plane doing spins," and then heard a "pop" and saw two large pieces of the airplane descending from the sky, the report said.

The airplane came to rest in 20 ft of water on the ocean floor — and a portion of the right wing was recovered floating above the airplane about a half mile offshore, the NTSB report said.

The weather at 10:53 a.m. indicated about 10-statue miles of visibility, light rain and wind.

According to thecount.com, Terbrusch was a high-profile divorce and family law attorney.

In an interview with Patch, Katie Cloneris, who was Terbrusch's assistant at Terbrusch Law Firm in Danburty, CT, where he was the sole practitioner, the news was very unexpected. "It's a very difficult time for his family," she said, adding that he leaves behind one child.

"He was very close with his family," Cloneris said. "He was also very well-known throughout the polo community," where he was on a polo team, she said.

Remembering her employer and friend, she said: "He always had a smile on his face. He was very energetic, he never sat down always going, taking care of something for somebody. He never said 'no.'

He always tried to do his best, whoever was asking. That was something I looked up to him about."
She added that Terbrusch took her under his wing at the business. "He was really good to me and taught me a lot in the law office. I'm appreciative of the knowledge that he's given me."

Jennifer Landrum was a beloved special education teacher at Thomson High School in Thomson, GA. whose death has left a community cloaked in mourning.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the people who were aboard the plane," said Capt. Kevin Reed, commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. "We are grateful to the emergency responders who assisted in the search efforts."

The commercial salvage was performed by Sea Tow Shinnecock, or Lester Trafford, partnered with East End Dive Services and Walter Britton; their team was also instrumental in recovering the wreckage from an Amagansett plane crash in June.

During that operation, the team acquired a new ultra-high frequency side scan sonar that lets them see very detailed images of a wide search area under their vessel; their team were located the fuselage Sunday using that sonar equipment.

The crash off Amagansett took the lives of Ben and Bonnie Krupinski, their grandson William Maerov, and pilot Jon Dollard, leaving hearts broken.

Patch photo by LTJG Rodion Mazin.