Flight school owner, instructor, student pilot killed in Massachusetts plane crash

Frank O'Laughlin
·1 min read
2

Authorities on Monday identified the three people who were killed in a plane crash in a remote, wooded area in western Massachusetts over the weekend.

Emergency crews responding to calls from dog walkers for a reported plane crash in a small clearing in the woods within the Leyden Wildlife Management Area on Sunday around 12:30 p.m. found the wreckage of a Beechcraft 55 Baron Twin-Piston plane owned by the Fly Lugu Flight School, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The three victims, who who were removed from the wreckage by firefighters, were identified by state police as:

  • William Hampton, 68, of Indian Orchard, Massachusetts

  • Chad Davidson, 29, of Woodstock, Connecticut

  • Fredrika Ballard, 53, of Southwick, Massachusetts

Ballard was the owner of the Fly Lugu Flight School, Hampton was a flight instructor for Fly Lugu, and Davidson was a student pilot, state police said.

Fly Lugu Flight School is based out of the Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield.

State police said that detectives assigned to the Northwest District Attorney’s Office determined that the plane had departed from Barnes Airport in Westfield at approximately 11:06 a.m. Sunday.

Federal Aviation Administration Aviation safety inspectors also responded to the crash site on Sunday and a National Transportation Safety Board investigator is expected to arrive Monday.

A trooper from the Shelburne Falls Barracks remained at the scene of the crash site overnight to ensure security, state police noted.

The facts and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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