Long Beach man killed, O'side resident injured in plane crash

Two Farmingdale State College aviation students were killed — one a Long Beach resident — and a third passenger from Oceanside was inured in a plane crash in Pennsylvania Wednesday night.

According to published reports, Patrick Sheridan, 34, of Long Beach, and Casey Falconer, 19, of Garden City Park, were killed after the Mooney M20J single engine aircraft crashed in Wayne County in northeastern Pennsylvania.

A third passenger, Evan Kisseloff, 21, of Oceanside, was injured.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the crash occurred shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when the four-seat aircraft was flying out of the Spring Hill Airport in Sterling, Pa. According the Wayne Independent, the plane apparently clipped the top of a tree that sent it crashing into the woods. The plane landed a quarter mile south of the runway, upside down on airport property.

The Wayne Independent reported that a fire ensued in which the pilot and one of the passengers were trapped, while the third occupant of the plane was able to escape the blaze with minor injuries.

According to Peter Knudson, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, the accident is currently under investigation by the NTSB and the preliminary on-scene investigation will be completed this weekend. A preliminary report will be available on the NTSB website in five to 10 business days. But it will be 12 months before a final report is released, Knudson said.

Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene by the Wayne County Coroner’s office, the Wayne Independent reported.

According to a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report, the aircraft, on takeoff, crashed off the end of the runway.

All three victims are students in the Aviation Program at Farmingdale College at the State University of New York.