The passenger of a light aircraft was forced to take over the controls after the 79-year-old male pilot suffered a medical emergency upon final approach.
Despite the female passenger’s incredible efforts to land the Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian, the plane suffered a hard landing outside the runway.
According to Massachusetts State Police the plane’s left wing broke in half and both the pilot and the passenger were rushed to hospital.
The Piper aircraft left Westchester County Airport (HPN) in New York on Saturday, July 15, 2023, shortly after 2:10pm local time.
The plane then travelled for over an hour before crashing at Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY) in Massachusetts.
The pilot was then flown by medical helicopter to a Boston Hospital in a serious life-threatening condition.
The passenger was uninjured after she was evaluated at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and subsequently released.
Police officers confirmed that both the pilot and the passenger are Connecticut residents.
The crash scene has now been cleared and the aircraft has been moved to a secure location at the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a preliminary report on July 17, 2023, the aircraft crashed for “unknown reasons on the approach end of the runway”.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is understood to be leading investigations into the incident.