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The Vermont State Police said the incident occurred in Addison County, Vermont, in Ferrisburgh on Sunday, Sept. 8.
The victims, whose bodies were recovered on Monday, Sept. 9, have been identified as:
- Paul Pelletier, age 55, of Columbia, in Tolland County
- Frank Rodriquez, age 88, of Lebanon, in New London County
- Susan Van Ness, age 51, of Middletown, in Middlesex County
- Delilah Van Ness, age 15, of Middletown, in Middlesex County .
Middletown Police reported that Pelletier was the aviation teacher at Middletown High School, and Delilah Van Ness was a student. Her mother, Susan Van Ness, was also killed.
The school district released the following: "This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community," said Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos, Superintendent of Middletown Public Schools. "Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals whose absence is already being felt throughout our district and city."
A preliminary investigation determined that the four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft had departed Windham Airport in Connecticut at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, for a flight of about two hours to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh, state police said.
Investigators determined the privately owned plane landed, and the occupants arrived for a brunch reservation at Basin Harbor.
The party departed the restaurant shortly after noon and was to fly back to Connecticut.
Police said a witness reported seeing the airplane on the runway at about 12:15 p.m.
No reports indicated an aircraft was in distress or a plane had crashed.
However, after the plane failed to return to Connecticut as expected, relatives of the occupants reported the situation to the Connecticut State Police and the Middletown (Connecticut) Police Department.
Those agencies worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and used cellphone location data to determine the plane’s last known location near the airstrip in Vermont.
Middletown Police notified the Vermont State Police of the situation at about 10:20 p.m. Sunday. Troopers from the New Haven Barracks responded along with members of the Middlebury Police Department and the City of Vergennes Fire Department.
With the assistance of a drone flown by Middlebury police, investigators located the aircraft's wreckage at about 12:20 a.m. Monday in a wooded area to the east of the Basin Harbor Airport.
First responders confirmed all four occupants were dead.
The bodies of the victims were brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are the lead investigative agencies on the airplane crash.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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