One Critical, One Dead in East Haven Training Plane Crash
One man is dead and another in critical condition at Yale New Haven Hospital following a single-engine plane crash into the marshes south of Tweed-New Haven Airport shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Rescue crews from East Haven assisted by emergency personnel from New Haven and Branford struggled through water and deep mud to locate the crash, which was 25 yards off of the southeast side of Runway 2 in an area of 10-foot tall marsh plants. The site was located approximately 15 minutes after the crash was called in at 9:57 a.m. by a Roses Farm Road resident.
According to an airport official, the plane, a single engine, two-seater Tomahawk Aircraft operated by the Connecticut Flight Academy, had just taken off on a routine training flight and almost immediately radioed a Mayday, then fell from the sky after turning to return to the airport.
The name of the deceased has not been released pending identification and notification of next of kin. Rafayel Hany Wassef of New London remains in critical condition at Yale New Haven Hospital.
At a press conference held shortly after noon, Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., said the cause of the crash has yet to be determined. State and federal transportation officials were expected on the scene today.
We will update this story as more information becomes available.