A single-engine, experimental plane crashed in a field not far from the Oswego County Airport Thursday afternoon, killing the pilot.
Police had not released the name of the person killed as of late Thursday night because they were in the process of notifying the victim’s family.
The crash happened shortly before 2:30 p.m. in a wooded area between White Ave. and County Route 176 on the city’s northern border.
Former Mayor Daryl Hayden owns the 20 acre property with his wife, which they bought almost exactly a year ago. Locals call the area Incinerator Hill.
Fulton Police Chief Orlo Green said it was a challenge to get to the crash scene, which was well off any paved road. At least one rescue vehicle became stuck in a muddy field and had to be pulled out.
Green said rescuers discovered a plane scattered in many pieces across an area of several hundred feet. The pilot’s body was in the midst of the debris.
“Heavily damaged aircraft, very difficult to find,” Green said. “Quite a debris field.”
Reporters were allowed to see the crash scene from a distance after all of the preliminary investigation was done. Small pieces of the plane were visible, hanging from tree limbs. The plane’s fuselage was visible on the ground, crumpled.
Green said the plane was an experimental aircraft. Experimental planes are often built by their owners from do-it-yourself kits. A chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association is located at the Oswego County Airport.
The plane was practicing takeoffs and landings at the airport, Green said, a training routine known as touch-and-gos.
There was no obvious sign of why the plane crashed, he said. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived a few hours after the crash to conduct the official investigation. A preliminary report into a small plane crash will often be made public within a few weeks of the crash, while a final report may take many months.
Earlier coverage:
Police and rescue units have blocked off a section of County Route 176 just inside the Fulton clty line with the town of Volney because of what they call a plane crash with a fatality.
The scene is near the railroad bridge overpass along Rt. 176.
We’re told the plane is an experimental plane. A chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association of America is based at the Oswego County Airport. Experimental planes are either hand-built or kit-built aircraft.
Federal Aviation Administration officials have been called to the scene, which is common for plane crashes and incidents. FAA investigators are expected to be at the scene at around 5:00 p.m.
