BEVERLY, Mass. — One man is dead and another is in critical condition after a small, single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a Beverly industrial park on Thursday morning.
The Mooney M20F aircraft went down around 8:45 a.m. on Sam Fonzo Drive, just a short distance from the Beverly Regional Airport. Officials have confirmed that the plane was en route to Ticonderoga Municipal Airport in New York.
Upon arrival, emergency crews found the wreckage of the plane in two pieces, with the main fuselage resting against a utility pole. First responders worked to extricate the two occupants from the aircraft.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Beverly Police Chief John Lelacheur. The second man was transported by medevac to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The names of the victims have not yet been released, pending notification of their families.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the individuals involved in this tragic accident,” Chief Lelacheur said at a press conference. He confirmed that there were no injuries to anyone on the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been notified and will be leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
“The NTSB will be looking at the man, the machine, and the environment,” said NTSB spokesperson Jennifer Gabris. “We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine what caused this tragedy.”
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane in distress shortly after it departed from the airport.
“I was just getting to work when I saw the plane,” said local worker David Chen. “It didn’t sound right, and then I saw a puff of smoke from the engine. It was clear something was wrong.”
The crash occurred on the Juneteenth holiday, and as a result, the industrial park was less crowded than on a typical weekday.
The scene of the crash has been secured by law enforcement, and a section of Sam Fonzo Drive remains closed as investigators from the NTSB and FAA conduct their on-site examination of the wreckage. The investigation is expected to be a lengthy process.
