Small plane crashes into Connecticut River in Charlestown

Jun. 22—CHARLESTOWN — The pilot of a single-engine plane suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries when his aircraft crashed into the Connecticut River on Wednesday morning, according to Charlestown Police Chief Patrick Connors.

George Tucker, 27, of Ludlow, Vt., the plane's lone occupant, was taken by ambulance to Springfield Hospital in Vermont, Connors said in a news release that evening.

Tucker reported a mechanical malfunction with the engine, before colliding with high-tension powerlines near the Charlestown Picnic Area and Boat Launch on Lower Landing Road around 10:15 a.m., Connors said.

He had taken off in a 1952 PA-18 Alpha bush-style plane from Hartness State Airport in Springfield, Vt., about 35 minutes before the crash, according to the release, which describes him as an experienced pilot.

The first officer at the scene discovered Tucker swimming about 50 feet from where the wing of the yellow biplane was sticking out of the water, Connors said.

Police were able to communicate with Tucker, who swam the approximately 200 yards to the shore where officers were able to help him out of the water, the release states.

"He was able to slowly make his way from the plane to the point where we had a rope," N.H. State Police Trooper Brandon Dean said at the scene. "And once he was able to grab on to it, we pulled him ashore."

When first responders got Tucker back on land, "he was conscious, breathing, alert, talking," and reported torso and back pain, Connors said.

A nearby man who heard the crash, but did not see it, called 911 after the plane had hit some high-tension electric wires over the river between Springfield and Charlestown, Connors said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the accident, Connors added. Neither the FAA nor the NTSB immediately returned requests Wednesday afternoon for more information.

National Grid, the utilities company that maintains the lines that were hit in the crash, shut off power to the area, Connors said at the scene. The plane appeared to be stuck on the bottom of the river, which is about 12 to 15 feet deep in the area, he added.

"[N.H. State Police] Marine Patrol went out there. They ascertained that there's no fluids leaking into the river right now, and we're waiting to get word from the FAA as to what the plan is next for the plane," Connors said from beside the river, adding that the plane had not moved since the crash.

In addition to Charlestown and N.H. State Police, Golden Cross Ambulance, the Charlestown Fire Department and North Walpole Fire and Rescue responded to the scene.

This is the second plane crash in Charlestown in less than a year. A Ryegate, Vt., man died, and a Windham, Maine, pilot suffered minor injuries when the ultra-light aircraft they were in struck power lines and crashed at Morningside Flight Park on July 10, 2021.

This story has been updated with additional information from Charlestown and N.H. State Police. This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.

Ryan Spencer can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1412, or rspencer@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @rspencerKS.