10/21/2010 // West Palm Beach, FL, US // Sandra Quinlan // Sandra Quinlan
Long Island, NY—A small plane crashed near Republic Airport on Long Island Sunday, October 17, 2010, killing one person and leaving three others with serious injuries. The fatal aviation accident occurred on Long Island Street around 9 a.m., according to information provided by the Wall Street Journal.
Reports indicated Gus Halouvas was at the controls of a 1969 Marchetti single-engine propeller plane and was practicing touch-and-go landings when something went wrong.
Just moments before the plane crash, the pilot reportedly asked air traffic controllers if he could fly in low. “There was no mayday, no distress call,” added Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Jim Peters.
The aircraft then apparently experienced engine failure. The plane clipped a tree and fence before slamming into four parked cars. Crash debris was also propelled onto a nearby lawn, while fuel began to leak from the wrecked plane.
Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel were dispatched to the scene and rushed the plane’s occupants to area hospitals for treatment.
Ed Cerverizzo, a 75-year-old passenger and licensed pilot of 30 years, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Sadly, his traumatic injuries proved fatal at 9:45 a.m.
Mr. Halouvas, 55, suffered spinal cord injuries and was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment. A second passenger in the aircraft, 83-year-old William Mancusi, suffered facial lacerations and was also taken to Nassau.
A third passenger, identified as 61-year-old Charles Bianculli, suffered critical injuries and was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center for treatment.
The men were scheduled to fly to Lagrangeville-based Sky Acres Airport to have brunch at the Perfect Landing Café, as they did every Sunday. The owner of the café, Cindy Anderson, called the men “very friendly,” stating, “This is really sad… Those… guys were here every single Sunday.”
The FAA will conduct a preliminary probe and then turn the investigation over to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for completion.
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