LEYDEN, Mass. – A small plane crash occurred in Leyden, Massachusetts, on the town line of Greenfield, resulting in the tragic deaths of three individuals on Sunday. The plane, which had departed from Barnes Airport in Westfield at 11:06 a.m., crashed just under an hour later. Authorities received a 911 call reporting the crash at around 11:30 a.m., with the crash site being located at approximately 12:30 p.m.
According to information obtained from FlightAware, the aircraft was in flight for 19 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 4,475 feet at 11:25 a.m. The Incident Page Network (IPN) captured three incidents from dispatch, including the deployment of Greenfield firefighters and the request for assistance from the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing.
During the search for the aircraft, recorded live audio from Broadcastify revealed the coordinated efforts of multiple first responders, including the use of drones and conversations among responders as they scoured the area for the downed plane.
Tragically, the plane was found to be owned by Fly Lugu Flight School in Westfield, and the victims of the crash have been identified as 53-year-old Fredrika Ballard of Southwick, 68-year-old William Hampton of Indian Orchard, and 29-year-old Chad Davidson of Woodstock, Connecticut.
Greenfield police were contacted for additional information but were unable to release the 911 calls due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
The crash has undoubtedly left a profound impact on the community, and further developments in the investigation are awaited.