Pilot Incapacitated; Passenger “Lands” Aircraft at MVY | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Tue, Jul 18, 2023

Pilot Incapacitated; Passenger “Lands” Aircraft at MVY

Investigation Ongoing

The 79-year-old male pilot of a 2006 Piper Meridian (PA-46TP) suffered an in-flight medical emergency on Saturday, 15 July 2023. The situation compelled his 68-year-old, female, non-pilot passenger to take control of the aircraft, which she “crash-landed”—without benefit of extended landing gear—at Massachusetts’s Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY).

The woman suffered minor injuries, was evaluated at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and promptly released. The man was extracted from the wreckage and flown to a Boston hospital in critical condition.

The six-seat, single-turboprop-engine aircraft was badly damaged—its port-side wing having broken off on impact with the ground.

The Meridian departed New York’s Westchester County Airport (HPN) in the early afternoon. The accident occurred at approximately 15:15 EDT.

MVY Runway 6-24, the airport’s primary commercial runway, was closed for over two-hours as the accident-aircraft’s wreckage was cleared.

In accordance with Federal Aviation Regulations, what remained of the PA-46TP was transported to a secure location for evaluation by NTSB and FAA investigators.

Eerily, the mishap occurred only one-day prior to the 24th anniversary of the infamously tragic 1999 accident in which John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette perished when the Piper Saratoga (PA-32R) then being flown by JFK Jr. plunged into the waters off Martha’s Vineyard.

The NTSB concluded Kennedy had fallen victim to spatial disorientation while descending over water at night—consequently losing control of the aircraft. Prevailing weather at the time of the accident consisted of generally clear skies and visibility of four-to-six miles in haze. However, weather and light-conditions in the vicinity of Martha’s Vineyard were such that all basic landmarks were obscured, thereby rendering VFR flight challenging, though technically legal. Kennedy Jr. was not instrument rated.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Advertisement

More News

Classic Aero-TV: Up Close And Personal - The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team at Oshkosh

From 2014 (YouTube Version): One Of The Airshow World's Pre-Eminent Formation Teams Chats About The State Of The Industry At EAA AirVenture 2014, ANN News Editor Tom Patton gets th>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.13.25): Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) An ultra-high frequency electronic rho-theta air navigation aid which provides suitably equipped aircraft a continuous indication of bearing and dis>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.13.25)

Aero Linx: Doobert Hi, we're Chris & Rachael Roy, founders and owners of Doobert. Chris is a technology guy in his “day” job and used his experience to create Doobe>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Pitts S2

The Airplane Was Spinning In A Nose-Down Attitude Before It Impacted Terrain On June 20, 2025, at 0900 eastern daylight time, a Pitts Aerobatics S-2B, N79AV, was destroyed when it >[...]

Airborne 07.09.25: B-17 Sentimental Journey, Airport Scandal, NORAD Intercepts

Also: United Elite Sues, Newark ATC Transitions, Discovery Moves?, Textron @ KOSH The Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona is taking its “Flying Legends of Victory Tour&rd>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC