PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - An 81-year-old pilot was killed in a small plane crash in the Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth Thursday morning, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced.
Massachusetts State Police said they were notified of reports of a a small plane crash in the area of Curlew Pond in Myles Standish State Park at approximately 7:40 a.m. When emergency responders arrived, they said they located a a fixed-wing aircraft with the pilot, the only occupant, trapped inside.
The pilot, identified as Richard Carrara, 81, of Kingston, was eventually taken out of the plane by members of the Plymouth Fire Department and Plymouth EMS. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after.
A preliminary investigation suggests Carrara took off from Plymouth Municipal Airport at 6:32 a.m. for Martha’s Vineyard, and was attempting to return to Plymouth when the crash occurred 37 minutes later.
James Campbell said he was having his morning coffee when he saw the plane come down.
“I saw an older plane coming over and it was kind of sputtering above,” Campbell said. “I’m not a pilot, but I said, ‘that doesn’t sound so good.’ Then it kind of kicked into gear again, then went over to the horizon over there. I saw the plane come back around and I didn’t hear an engine at all, and it just kind of nosedived into Curlew Pond.”
A group of people who live in the area said they jumped into action to try and help the pilot out of the plane, some of them entering the pond on kayaks.
“We just pushed it until we could get it on the ground, then we dragged it as close to shore as we could,” said John Gurney, who tried to rescue Carrara. “Because the plane was upside down, and we had no idea if the guy had any air in there. If he was alive, was he conscious? We couldn’t make any contact. We banged on the hull, we yelled, heard nothing back.”
Gurney said the group quickly determined the pilot had little chance to survive.
“Guy jumped out and reached down, and realized the windshield was gone. The cabin was full of water. He’d been there for about 20 minutes at that point,” he said. “It’s kind of frustrating when you know someone is in there and there’s nothing you can do.”
The FAA was notified and also responded to the scene.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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