After it crashed in a Long Island neighbourhood, a woman from New Jersey died and two other people were hurt.
Following the collision in North Lindenhurst on Sunday, March 5, Roma Gupta, 63, of Whitehouse Station in Hunterdon County, passed away; her daughter Reeva Gupta, 33, of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is still in critical condition.
Fayzul Chowdhury, a 23-year-old Bronx resident who flew the aircraft, is still in critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital.
As of Tuesday, March 7, the Gupta family’s GoFundMe campaign had amassed more than $107,000. The campaign claimed that Reeva and Roma signed up for a flight lesson to realise a shared dream.
“While the flight was airborne, smoke was reported in the cockpit,” the page reads. “The plane tried to make an emergency landing but ultimately crashed into a neighborhood in Lindenhurst, where the plane burst into flames. Reeva and the pilot were airlifted to the closest, and best, burn center on Long Island, Stony Brook University Hospital.”
Reeva is in critical condition after sustaining third-degree burns.
At around 2:15 p.m., the aircraft in East Farmingdale, New York, took off with three people on board. The Suffolk County Police reported on Sunday, March 5.
Soon after, the pilot signalled for help and said there was smoke in the cockpit.
Just before 3 p.m., the plane turned back towards the airport to make an emergency landing, then crashed about 300 feet south of the Long Island Rail Road track in North Lindenhurst, near the intersection of Wellwood Avenue and 5th Street.
After receiving notification, the Federal Aviation Administration arrived on the scene. To ascertain what caused the collision, the National Transportation Safety Board will continue its investigation.
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