East Haven Plane Crash: Pilot Bill Henningsgaard and 1-Year-Old Child Found Dead

By Eric Chen
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A firefighter surveys the scene of a small plane crash Friday, Aug. 9, 2013, in East Haven, Conn. The multi-engine, propeller-driven plane plunged into a working-class suburban neighborhood near Tweed New Haven Airport, on Friday AP Photo/Fred Beckham

Update 2: On Friday night, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Robert Gretz said that there were casualty reports of two or three people in the plane and two or three on the ground.

“Part of the plane is in the basement and part of the house is obviously in the basement, too, so as I speak to you the state police are working with the fire department to find all the victims,” Gretz said.

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Update 1: Ex-Microsoft executive Bill Henningsgaard and his son Max died Friday in a plane crash in East Haven, Connecticut, where two children, ages 1 and 13, on the ground were also killed, officials said.

Henningsgaard's plane crashed as it approached an airport, and authorities said they believe two children ages 1 and 13 were killed in one of the homes, while their mother survived, The Daily Astorian reported.

The Seattle-based pilot was the son of former Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgaard-Miller and brother of City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.

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The two bodies of the East Haven plane crash victims have been identified as the pilot and 1-year-old child, who was inside one of the houses that was struck, a source told NBC Connecticut.

The plane's pilot is Bill Henningsgaard, of Medina, Washington, according to family members in Oregon, the NBC Connecticut reports.

He and his son, Max, who is going to be a senior in high school, left the West Coast on Monday to tour colleges on the East Coast and New Haven was on itinerary.

The family has not been notified by any officials in Connecticut, but confirmed to NBC over the phone that the plane belonged to Bill and they believe he and his son were aboard when it crashed.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said crews working at the scene of the plane crash in East Haven have seen two victims' bodies, but neither has been recovered. The third victim has not been discovered, but is feared dead.

The missing include the one person on the plane and two children in a house, ages 1 and 13, East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said, according to CTPost reports.

“We haven’t recovered anybody at this point and we presume there is going to be a very bad outcome,” East Haven Fire Chief Douglas Jackson said early Friday afternoon, the CBS New York reports.

A small plane originating from New Jersey crashed into two homes in East Haven late Friday morning at 11:25 a.m, engulfing both houses on fire.

The addresses of the homes that were struck are 64 and 68 Charter Oak Ave. Both homes are seriously damaged. The incident happened near the Tweed New Haven Airport.

The children’s mother is on scene and is being consoled by authorities as well as her priest.

“There are reports that two children were in the house, there are reports that there are one to three people in the plane,” Malloy said. “So far, on a visual inspection only, we’ve been able to identify two bodies and the rest of it will have to play itself out in the hours to come.”

“We are doing everything we possibly can for the mom who is here with her priest and family,” Mayor Joseph Maturo said.

East Haven United Church will host Saturday night a vigil for the plane crash victims at 7pm. The town is not unfamiliar with tragedies as Sandy Hook Elementary school massacred last year took place in their neighboring city Newtown.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the following statement:

"A Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, a multi-engine turbo prop aircraft, crashed on approach into the Tweed New Haven Airport. CT at 11:25 a.m. today. The flight originated from Teterboro Airport, NJ. The FAA is investigating.”

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