Third Person Survives Accident Involving Two Piper Aircraft

A mid-air collision between a Piper Comanche and a Piper Cherokee in New Hampton, NY Monday has fatally injured two people, while a third survived the accident.

Names of those killed are being withheld pending notification of relatives.  FAA records indicate the Comanche was registered to Gary Delia of Sussex, NJ, and the Cherokee was registered to Edward Crump of Boonton, NJ.  Officials said they do not yet know who was actually aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident.

FAA spokesperson Jim Peters said two people had flown from Sussex to Boonton to pick up an airplane and return both to Sussex. The accident occurred on the return flight. The Comanche was based at Sussex airport, according to airport manager Paul Styger. He said he had not seen Delia at the airport on the day of the accident.

NJ.com reports that the collision happened about 20 miles northeast of Sussex airport near the town of Middletown, NY. A witness who was working in her garden told the Times Herald-Record of Middletown that she saw one plane "clip the other plane's wing." She said the airplane that was struck "spiraled down, and the other went down at an angle."

The two aircraft impacted the ground several hundred yards apart. Debris was reportedly scattered across a fairly wide area. One of the aircraft caught fire on impact, but the other did not.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov