A woman of Indian origin died on Sunday in a plane crash in North Lindenhurst, New York while her daughter and the pilot were injured, reported 12 New Jersey while citing Suffolk County police.
The deceased was identified as Roma Gupta (63), and her daughter as Reeva Gupta, age 33. The Suffolk County police have identified the pilot as Fayzul Chowdhury (23) who is now being treated at Stony Brook University Hospital.
According to police, the small plane with three people on board, including two ladies, took off at 2:18 pm from Republic Airport in East Farmingdale.
The Suffolk Police said that it was a tourist flight, and the single-engine Piper Cherokee plane’s flight route revealed that it passed over the South Shore beaches. As per reports, the pilot reported smoke in the cabin and radioed Republic Airport air traffic authorities.
The police further stated that at about 3 pm the plane made an emergency landing with its back to the airport before crashing close to the intersection of Wellwood Avenue and Fifth Street in North Lindenhurst. According to the lawyer for the plane’s owner, the mother, and daughter from New Jersey bought the ticket on Groupon. There were no injuries on the ground or damage to any houses. After notification was sent to the Federal Aviation Administration, it responded to the scene.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating to determine the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is also probing into the crash.
Pilots are taught in emergency procedures, to do what if there is smoke in the cockpit or an engine fire, according to Farmingdale State College aviation director Michael Canders. He said an emergency like that requires an immediate landing, but that as a plane is landing, it’s going slow and can stall causing a crash.
He said, “So, you are near what is potentially or near the stall speeds, so if you get distracted at that low altitude, it’s very important that the pilot not lose that situational awareness, not get too slow and stop flying.”