Globe Swift Went Down In The Water And Sank In Moriches Inlet

Two people aboard a Globe Swift were fatally injured Saturday when the airplane went down in the water of Moriches Inlet off Long Island, NY. The airplane reportedly sank and became lodged against the pilings of a jetty in about 20 feet of water. It took rescuers about six hours to retrieve the bodies from the aircraft.

The Associated Press reports that the two on board the airplane were Cyril McLavin, 51, of Fresh Meadows in Queens, NY, and Andrew Messana, 72, from Bayside, Queens, NY.

The flight had originated at Spadaro Airport (1N2) not far from where it went down about 1500 EDT Saturday. A report appearing in the Long Island Press indicates that witnesses who called 911 said the engine of the plane was "sputtering" before it went down. A group of fishermen who saw the accident said they tried to get the two men out of the airplane but were unable to open the cockpit door. They said they tied a rope to the aircraft to prevent it from being carried out to sea on the outgoing tide. Rescue divers worked in shifts in the 64-degree water for several hours in an attempt to free the men, but were unsuccessful.

(Globe Swift photo from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov