Two people killed after small plane crashes on US highway
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Adeel Hassan
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Dartmouth, Massachusetts - Two people were killed, and one person on the ground was injured, on the morning of Oct 13 when a small plane crashed and caught fire on a grassy interstate highway median in south-eastern Massachusetts, the authorities said.
The crash was reported around 8.15 a.m. on Interstate 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, about 50km south-east of Providence, Rhode Island, forcing the closure of the highway in both directions, the Massachusetts State Police said.
Mr Thomas Quinn, the Bristol County, Massachusetts, district attorney, identified the dead victims as Mr Thomas Perkins, 68, and Ms Agatha Perkins, 66, of Middletown, Rhode Island. They were pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
The injured person, whose name was not released, was driven to a hospital in a car, the state police said.
The plane, a single-engine turboprop Socata TBM-700, departed New Bedford Regional Airport on the morning of Oct 13, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The state police said that the plane may have been attempting to return to the New Bedford airport when it crashed.
Photos and videos taken by passers-by in cars showed smoke rising from the wreckage and a white car in the median that appeared to have been struck on the passenger side, where it had sustained significant damage.
Officials closed the interstate in both directions near the crash site, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. By 4pm, all lanes of Interstate 195 had reopened, except the left eastbound lane, officials said.
The Newport Daily News of Newport, Rhode Island, reported that Mr Perkins was a partner in Kirby Perkins Construction of Middletown, a firm that specialises in restoration and historic preservation projects.
The state police said that troopers would remain at the scene of the crash overnight to ensure that the crash site is not disturbed until federal investigators arrive on Oct 14.
Though a nor’easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the area overnight, there was only light rain and wind by mid-morning.
The cause and circumstances of the crash were not clear. The NTSB said on Oct 13 that it was investigating the crash, but that it would not be able to provide additional information, citing the government shutdown. NYTIMES
