Instructor Pilot Survived, Student Pilot Fatally Injured

The NTSB is reporting that the crash of a Piper PA-34 Seneca in Hartford, CT was intentional.

In a statement released Wednesday, the board said its initial investigation of Tuesday’s aircraft crash in East Hartford, Connecticut "indicates the crash is the result of an intentional act.

"In light of that information and in accordance with established procedures the NTSB is in the process of transferring the lead for the investigation from NTSB to the FBI.

"The NTSB stands ready to support the FBI’s investigation should a request be made for agency expertise."

The New York Times reports that, according to East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc, the plane belonged to a flight school based at the airport. The student was identified as 28-year-old Feras M. Freitekh, a Jordanian national who lived in Orland Hills, IL near  Chicago. FAA records indicated that Freitekh was issued a private pilot certificate on May 29, 2015 for single-engine land aircraft. Fox News relays a report from CBS News which indicates that he entered the U.S. in 2012 on an M1 visa for flight school. He later acquired an F1 visa for language school. NBC news reports that Freitekh was getting instruction towards a multi-engine rating. The instructor, who survived, said that Freitekh was in control of the airplane at the time of the crash. He said there was an argument or struggle for control of the airplane which caused the accident, according to authorities who were able to interview the instructor.

In a news conference, East Hartford Police Chief Scott Sansom said that the FBI was contacted in part because the plane impacted terrain near a Pratt & Whitney factory, which he said was "critical infrastructure." It first struck a utility pole and power lines before hitting the ground. A post-impact fire ensued.

Mayor Leclerc said the pilot, who was not identified, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital with serious burns. Two people who were in a minivan near the impact site were also taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to police.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.fbi.gov, www.ntsb.gov