Four Connecticut residents were killed in a plane crash in Vermont over the weekend, including a 15-year-old Middletown girl who was taking flying lessons from one of her teachers, authorities said.
Vermont State Police identified the four as 55-year-old Paul Pelletier, of Columbia; 88-year-old Frank Rodriguez, of Lebanon; and 51-year-old Susan Van Ness and her 15-year-old daughter, Delilah Van Ness, both of Middletown.
Middletown police said Delilah was a sophomore at Middletown High School who was taking flying lessons with Pelletier, the school’s aviation technology teacher, and Rodriguez accompanied them on the trip.
The superintendent of schools in Middletown said Middletown High School will be closed on Tuesday, Sept. 10, all Middletown High School Fall athletic competitions scheduled for Tuesday will be postponed, athletic practices on Tuesday will be optional and crisis teams will be available at Middletown High School during normal school hours on Tuesday to provide support, counseling, and assistance to students and staff.
All four people who were on the plane were found dead amid the wreckage of a plane crash in the western part of Vermont early Monday morning.
“This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community,” Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos, superintendent of Middletown Public Schools, said in a statement. "Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals whose absence is already being felt throughout our district and city."
“Our sincerest condolences go out to the family, friends, and students who were affected by this tragedy,” Middletown police said in its statement.
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Vermont state police said their preliminary investigation determined that a four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft left Windham Airport in Connecticut around 8:30 a.m. Sunday for a nearly two-hour flight to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.
The privately owned plane landed and the occupants arrived for brunch reservations at Basin Harbor, a resort on Lake Champlain. They left the restaurant shortly after noon and were scheduled to return to Connecticut.
A witness reported seeing the plane on the runway around 12:15 p.m.
No reports were received indicating an aircraft in distress or that a plane had crashed, Vermont state police said.
But when the plane failed to return to Connecticut as expected, a family member called Middletown police around 7:15 p.m. Sunday and reported that Susan Van Ness and her daughter, Delilah, had flown from Windham Airport that morning and were traveling to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.
Delilah was taking flight lessons with Pelletier, the Aviation Technology teacher at Middletown High School, and they were accompanied by Rodriguez, the caller told them.
Middletown police said they obtained information on the last known location of the cell phones of the people onboard and saw that it was in the area of Basin Harbor Airport in Vermont.
Middletown police then notified the Federal Aviation Administration and Vermont State Police.
Around 10:20 p.m., Connecticut police notified Vermont State Police of the situation and Vermont state troopers responded along with members of the Middlebury Police Department in Vermont as well as Vermont’s Vergennes Fire Department.
Using a drone, investigators found the wreckage of the aircraft around 12:20 a.m. Monday in a wooded area just to the east of Basin Harbor Airport in Vermont.
The bodies of the victims were brought to the medical examiner's office in Burlington, where autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death, Vermont State Police said.
Support staff will also be present at all Middletown schools to offer additional help as needed.
“As the community grieves, Middletown Public Schools calls for unity and mutual support. The district aims to honor the memory of Paul, Delilah, and Susan by upholding their legacies of compassion, dedication, and kindness,” a statement from the Middletown school department says.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are leading the crash investigation, while Vermont State Police will conduct the investigation into the deaths.
