Readington woman dies, daughter and pilot fight for life after Long Island plane crash
NORTH LINDENHURST, N.Y. – A 63-year-old woman from the Whitehouse Station section of Readington died Sunday when a small plane returning to the airport crashed.
Roma Gupta was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 33-year-old daughter, Reeva Gupta, of St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and the pilot, 23-year-old Fayzul Chowdhury, of the Bronx, were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where they both remain in critical condition, police said.
The airplane crashed at 2:58 p.m. near Wellwood Avenue and 5th Street into trees and brush while attempting an emergency landing at Republic Airport in Farmingdale after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.
Police said that the single-engine plane took off from the same airport at 2:18 p.m. and the pilot issued a mayday signal shortly after.
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A GoFundMe has raised more than $120,000 to help support Reeva and her family during this "unprecedented trying" time.
"She faces a long, painful recovery, and her family, who needs to be at her bedside, lives far from eastern Long Island," the description said.
The fundraiser description said that the flight was to help fulfill "a long-standing wish" of theirs.
Reeva currently has third-degree burns and is "fighting for her life."
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and responded to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating to determine the cause of the crash.
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This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Long Island plane crash leaves Readington NJ woman dead
