Plane Went Down One Mile From Field

Authorities have recovered the body of a pilot whose Smith Aerostar 601P crashed in a heavily wooded area near Vermont's Mount Snow Airport  (4V8) Saturday.

Robert North, 65, was flying his piston twin (file photo of type, below) home from White Plains, NY Saturday afternoon, when it went down for as-yet unknown reasons approximately one mile southeast of the field. A search was launched at 6:00 pm, and Civil Air Patrol crews spotted the wreckage about one mile south of the airport Sunday morning.

Local media reports state North was the owner of the small, single-runway airfield near West Dover, VT.

North was flying VFR, and had not filed a flight plan. FAA spokesman Jim Peters said the pilot had no contact with controllers after he left White Plains.

"We didn't pick up that there was anything wrong," said Peters.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 9797Q        Make/Model: AEST      Description: PA-60 AEROSTAR
  Date: 12/02/2006     Time: 1745

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: WEST DOVER   State: VT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AC WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 1NM SE OF 4V8 AIRPORT, WEST DOVER, VT

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.vermontairports.com/mtsnow.html