A small plane crashed into a wooded area behind a home in southern New Hampshire shortly after takeoff Friday morning, and the pilot, the sole passenger, was pulled alive from the wreckage, officials said.
The plane, a Beechcraft Model 99 twin-engine turboprop cargo plane, crashed around 7:30 a.m. on Colonial Drive in Londonderry after departing from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, a Londonderry Fire Department spokesperson said. It crashed on the edge of the backyard. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The pilot, who was not identified, was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a local hospital, then to a hospital in Boston, Londonderry Fire Department Chief Bo Butler said at a news conference.
Authorities have not disclosed the nature of the victim's injuries, but Butler said the pilot was one of several people who called 911 for help and was conscious the entire time.
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A small cargo plane crashed a few feet from a home in southern New Hampshire shortly after taking off from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Friday. This photo shows the twisted metal of the debris between the trees. It appears that the tail of the plane broke. (Londonderry Fire Station)
Photos from the scene show twisted metal debris on the ground between trees, and what appears to be the plane's tail.
“he [the pilot] “It was probably about 70 feet from a home, a single-family home, where the home line meets the treeline of the forest,” Butler said.
“It's very, very close.”
According to the FAA, Wiggins Flight 1046 was heading to Presque Isle International Airport in Maine when it crashed.
The cause of the crash is unknown, but investigators said the pilot radioed for help shortly after takeoff.
“As you can imagine, the aircraft was very damaged and in a difficult environment,” Butler said. “As a result, it was very difficult for the crew and rescue equipment to contact the pilot himself. But in the end, we were able to do so relatively quickly.”
The twin-engine turboprop cargo plane crashed on the edge of a backyard in Londonderry around 7:30 a.m. (Londonderry Fire Station)
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Butler said the pilot was lucky to survive.
“Certainly, he should have drawn the lottery. This was a very important emergency response that we responded to, and more things could have gone wrong than the plane crash itself. So the mitigation measures were very impactful and successful in this case.”
Butler praised the team's quick response. He said crews arrived on scene eight minutes after receiving the 911 call.
The scene where a Beechcraft 99 twin-engine turboprop cargo plane crashed at the end of a backyard on Colonial Drive in Londonderry. (Londonderry Fire Station)
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“This was an incredibly high-risk, low-frequency event that was professionally and competently extinguished by Londonderry Fire Department personnel,” Butler said, noting that power lines were down and the aircraft had approximately He noted that it was carrying 250 gallons of fuel. Hazardous materials management (HAZMAT) teams also responded, but no fire broke out.
Eddie Saktanaset, the owner of a home near the crash site, told WBZ-TV that he and his wife heard a loud bang and started receiving calls from neighbors.
Londonderry city officials hold a press conference about a plane crash in the neighborhood. (WFXT)
“I feel very lucky to be alive because it's so close to home,” Saktanaset said.
When they ran outside, they found the plane had crashed in the woods behind his house.
“I was shocked to see the plane crash,” Saktanaset said. “It sounded like a tree falling.”
The crash did not affect other flights using Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
A fire engine and police car after a plane crash occurred in the neighborhood. (WFXT)
