Angel Flight Crash Kills Three in Massachusetts

Passengers Killed on Impact

Jessica Fargen, Laurel J. Sweet and Marie Szaniszlo have reported in the BostonHerald.com that Angel Flight New England crashed into the parking lot of an Easton, Massachusetts, strip mall, killing all three aboard on impact.

The article goes on to say that no names have been released, but the victims were made up of the pilot and a husband and wife. The husband was seeking treatment at a Boston hospital for cancer treatment.

The plane, owned by 69-year-old Janet Keene, had been part of the "air charity network" for 12 years. A preliminary crash investigation indicated that the 1956 Beechcraft Bonanza G35 was in good working order.

The plane was lost by radar when it then appeared to witnesses flying about 300-400 feet above the ground before diving straight down and essentially disintegrating. No one in the parking lot was injured.

If you are not familiar with "Air Charity Network," it is an organization that provides transportation for people who for various medical reasons need air transportation. They have individual donors as well as corporate donors such as Angel Flight, Mercy Flights and Airlift Hope to name a few.

The inspiration for the Air Charity Network is that when someone is very ill, the pressure of finding transportation to get needed treatment is the last thing a family needs to worry about. Also, it has been shown when a patient has extra pressure it is more difficult illness.

Perhaps to any baseball fan of my age, an air tragedy would put one in memory of Roberto Clemente who played 18 seasons in the major leagues and was very active bringing baseball equipment to Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. He was killed in a 1972 aviation accident. He had won 12 Gold Glove awards and was inducted posthumously into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In the earlier days of air travel, you rarely heard of an airplane crash. It is always shocking and sad to hear of air disasters. It is even sadder if it is a tragedy that occurred when "good" was being done.

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