There were no reported injuries from anyone already on the ground
By NBC New York Staff and The Associated Press
One person was dead and two others seriously injured after a small, single-engine plane went down in a Long Island neighborhood on Sunday, local and federal officials said.
The Piper PA 28 crashed in North Lindenhurst around 3 p.m., just short of its destination of Republic Airport in Farmingdale, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The airport is roughly 20 miles east of New York City.
Only the three victims were onboard the aircraft at the time of the crash. No injuries were reported on the ground.
The plane crashed into an area of trees and brush, said Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer.
“It crashed in a wooded area off of the Long Island Railroad tracks. It’s like a buffer that runs along the tracks,” he said.
Schaffer said the plane gave a “mayday” call over the radio before crashing.
A police helicopter flew the two injured fliers to Stony Brook Hospital.
Photos shared to social media show black smoke rising from the suspected crash site behind homes in the suburban community.
The FAA and NTSB will investigate the crash, including what caused the plane to go down.
