A bit late as I'm waiting for some computer issues to get cleaned up, but here is what I have for now...
Be safe out there!
Tom
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Pilot killed, passenger injured in Saratoga County plane crash
Witness says neighbors were trying to get a
person out of the plane that hit a tree on Wyndham Way in Milton
By Susan Mehalick, Wendy Liberatore, Steve Hughes - Staff Writers
MILTON — The pilot was killed and a passenger seriously injured when a small plane crashed in the yard of a home next to the Saratoga County Airport, officials said.
Sheriff Michael Zurlo said the crash occurred at 10:27 a.m. as the craft was taking off from the airport’s runway. The single-engine plane hit a tree and came down in a driveway next to a home on Wyndham Way, a small street with a cul-de-sac that backs up to the airport.
The crash occurred as strong winds were buffeting the area, just before a National Weather Service wind advisory went into effect.
Rebecca Beers, an advertising executive with the
Times Union, was returning to her home on Wyndham Way after an errand when a torrent of emergency vehicles sped past her. She drove up to a plume of smoke and her heart sank, fearing a home along the small street was on fire. She worried that whipping winds would spread the flames to other homes.
She parked in a friend’s driveway and found her husband. He was in their driveway when the plane came down, but didn’t hear the impact because of the loud wind.
“He said, ‘It was a plane,’” she said. “He could barely get it out.”
She found her neighbors in shock. “Everyone was hugging and crying, and no one knew anything,” she said.
She did not think anyone had witnessed the crash.
“The gentleman whose driveway it happened in was the one who called it in, and his car is parked 10 feet from it, and there’s no scratch, like it hit the tree and just fell flat down,” she said.
Neighbors ran out of their homes, some in bare feet, to try to help the pilot and passenger. The pilot was inside the burning plane; the passenger had been ejected and was trying to crawl from the wreckage. Neighbors dragged him down the driveway and cared for him until emergency responders arrived.
Other neighbors dumped buckets of water on the fire, trying to put it out before firefighters arrived.
Two neighbors ran back to the wreckage and tried in vain to free the pilot. The passenger is in serious condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital, Zurlo said.
Officials have not released the identities of either person. No one on the ground was injured by the impact.
Zurlo said he did not know if there had been any kind of advisory from the airport warning about winds.
It is unclear why the plane crashed, though meteorologists predicted the region would be hit with strong winds packing gusts of up to 50 mph throughout the day.
“It hit the top of a tree and basically dropped into the driveway,” Zurlo said
Milton plane crash
A small plane crashed Friday morning on a street near Saratoga County Airport, a witness said.
Federal Aviation Administration records show the single-engine plane, a 1964 Mooney M20E, had been owned by a Greenwich man who said Friday he sold the plane about a month ago. The craft can seat up to four people.
Ballston Spa saw peak wind gusts of 44 miles per hour after the wind advisory began, Tom Wasula, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said on Friday. Wind that strong can down tree limbs and blow unsecured objects around, he said.
While the weather service forecasts for major airports in the area, it does not for pilots of private planes, who, Wasula said, would likely be looking to local forecasts or the federal Aviation Weather Center for guidance.
Beers expressed admiration and gratitude for the neighbors who ran toward the crash.
“They’re some of the best people, and I’m grateful to be their neighbor as well,” she said.
Beers said her family loves living near the airport. But the possibility of a plane crashing had always been a quiet concern. On a previous occasion, a low-flying plane clipped a tree.
“It’s always been a thought in the back of my head,” she said.
Susan Mehalick and H. Rose Schneider contributed reporting.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/plane-crashes-near-saratoga-county-airport-21131095.php
NTSB Prelim: Elmore Travis C Searey
While Flying North Along The Beach At About 300 Ft Above Ground Level, The Pilot Reported That The Engine RPM Dropped To About Idle
Location: Rotonda West, FL Accident Number: ERA25LA368
Date & Time: September 28, 2025, 11:26 Local Registration: N2090S
Aircraft: Elmore Travis C Searey Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On September 28, 2025, at 1126 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Searey, N2090S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Stump Pass, Florida. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that the preflight, taxi, and takeoff were all normal with no observed anomalies. After departing from Manatee Airport, Palmetto, Florida, the pilot stated he flew for about an hour and a half in the local area. While flying north along the beach at about 300 ft above ground level, the pilot reported that the engine RPM dropped to about idle. The pilot pushed the nose down, pushed the throttle to maximum, and turned on the second fuel boost pump. The pilot reported there was no change in RPM and the engine continued to operate at idle. The pilot determined he would be unable to make it back to an airport and so he performed a forced landing in choppy water. During the landing, the airplane’s nose impacted a wave. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and to the horizontal stabilizer.
The wreckage was retained for further examination.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
NTSB Final Report: Aerotek PITTS S-2A
Shimmy Eventually Became More Adverse, And The Pilot Was Unable To Maintain Directional Control Of The Airplane
Location: New Holstein, Wisconsin Accident Number: CEN25LA287
Date & Time: July 26, 2025, 10:33 Local Registration: N83PS
Aircraft: Aerotek PITTS S-2A Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot reported that during landing on the asphalt runway, with a passenger in the front seat, the airplane had a significant tailwheel shimmy. The pilot attempted to stop the shimmy by lifting the tailwheel off the runway as the airplane continued to decelerate. As the speed decreased, the tailwheel settled back onto the runway and shimmied again, but directional control was maintained. However, the shimmy eventually became more adverse, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control of the airplane. The airplane ground looped to the left, came to rest adjacent to the runway, and sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage.
Postaccident examination revealed that an unapproved tailwheel assembly and tail spring were installed. The tailwheel created a negative castor angle and reduced trail, which was exacerbated by the additional weight of the rear occupant, and resulted in the tailwheel shimmy during landing.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s loss of direction control during landing due to an unapproved tailwheel assembly and tail spring that resulted in a tailwheel shimmy and a subsequent ground loop.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
