Victims Identified in Deadly Farmington Plane Crash [Updated]
Audio By Carbonatix
[Updated, Sept. 3, 2021] Names of those who were killed in the crash of a small jet that had taken off from Robertson Airport in Plainville were released Friday by police.
By Ted Glanzer
FARMINGTON – A small jet plane crashed in Farmington Thursday morning, killing all on board, according to police.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, Farmington police confirmed that two pilots and two passengers died in the crash.
“Our hearts go out to the family members of the two pilots and the passengers on that plane,” said Farmington Police Lt. Tim McKenzie.
The small jet, which federal officials said was a Cessna Citation 560X, impacted the ground before striking the Trumpf building located at 111 Hyde Road, near the Plainville town line, shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday.
The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Robertson Airport in Plainville.
McKenzie said witnesses reported the jet having difficulty shortly after takeoff.
A fire at the building was reported at 9:52 a.m. and the plane was fully engulfed in flames when first responders arrived, McKenzie said.
Firefighters from Farmington and Plainville responded, along with multiple other agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Drones and helicopters have been asked to keep a 4-mile radius from the scene.
The building was evacuated and debris and the charred wreckage of the plane littered the grassy campus at Trumpf as employees in the corporate office park looked on.
All Trumpf employees have been accounted for, McKenzie said. The company later said that two employees had sustained injuries, but did not provide any further details.
The plane, a business jet, was headed to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, NC, with four people on board, according to an FAA spokesperson.
The Farmington Police Department is assisting the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board with the investigation of the crash in Farmington. Investigators are expected to be on scene through the weekend.
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