The pilot killed in a crash at Saratoga County Airport was towing a glider when his single-engine plane went nose down on takeoff and crashed on the runway on Wednesday,
Though the pilot’s identity and condition have not been released by the State Police, the FAA describes the crash as fatal.
The FAA says the glider “pitched up and the accident airplane nosed over, impacting the runway.” A “nose over” occurs when the front of a plane strikes a surface and the plane goes over.
The plane was owned by the Adirondack Soaring Association, a nearby club that offers glider flights.
An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to Saratoga County Airport to investigate the Tuesday crash. The pilot was hospitalized after the impact, which caused the plane’s fuel to ignite.
The NTSB says the investigators will examine and photograph the scene, collect recordings of air traffic control transmissions, and weather reports. The investigators will also look at the maintenance record for the Piper PA-25 and the previous 72 hours of the pilot’s life to see “if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safely operate the flight,” the agency said in a statement released Wednesday.
State Police said the pilot was the only person on board when the craft crashed on takeoff. State Police said the pilot was badly injured in the crash, which was reported at 1:45 p.m., and the plane caught fire. The flames consumed the plane, leaving its airframe exposed.
The NTSB is not expected to release immediate details about the cause of the crash. A preliminary report from the agency is expected in 30 days and a complete report about the crash could take up to two years to complete.
County spokeswoman Christine Rush confirmed Wednesday that the airport terminal and one of the two runways are open, but deferred further questions to State Police.
The plane crash on Tuesday was the second involving a flight taking off from the airport in less than a year. On Halloween, a single-engine plane hit a tree and came down in a driveway next to a home on Wyndham Way, a small street with a cul-de-sac that backs up to the airport, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger.