Monday, October 03, 2011

Maryland authorities search for elderly woman’s body after Chesapeake Bay small plane crash.

UPDATED STORY: The body of the female passenger on a single engine plane that crashed Sunday afternoon in the Chesapeake Bay near Smith Island in Somerset County has been recovered.

78-year-old Mary Lagerquist of Sequim, Washington was pulled from the water around 9 o’clock this morning.

The pilot of the plane and son of the victim, 48-year-old Lanson Ross of Fort Washington, Maryland was treated and released overnight from PRMC in Salisbury.

Ross told authorities that his plane lost power about 3:30 p.m. Sunday and he crashed, but he and his mother were able to get out of the aircraft before it sank. He says he and his mom were then attempting to swim to Smith Island in the rough water with three to five foot waves when Lagerquist passed away. Ross said he continued swimming and was able to reach Smith Island around 8 p.m.

The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash. And the plane, we’re told, has not been located or recovered at this time.

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VICTIMS OF PLANE CRASH NEAR SMITH ISLAND IDENTIFIED

BODY OF DECEASED VICTIM RECOVERED

(RHODES POINT, MD) – US Coast Guard, Maryland Natural Resources Police, and Virginia Marine Police have located and recovered the body of a female believed to be the victim of the small plane crash yesterday in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay off Smith Island.

The recovered body has not been positively identified, but is tentatively believed to be Mary L. Lagerquist, 78, of Sequim, Washington. She was deceased when her body was located at about 9:00 a.m. today in the water off the southern point of Smith Island.

The male victim is identified as Lanson, C. Ross, III, 48, of the 400-block of Broad Creek Drive, Ft. Washington, MD. Ross, the pilot of the plane and son of the female victim, was treated and released overnight at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury.

Ross told State Police investigators overnight that he was piloting his single-engine aircraft when it lost power and he crashed into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay while attempting to reach Smith Island. He said both he and his mother were able to exit the plane after it crashed and before it sank. He was attempting to swim to Smith Island with his mother when he said she passed away. Ross said he continued swimming and was able to reach Smith Island about 8:00 p.m. yesterday.

At about 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 4, from Salisbury, was dispatched for an aerial search of the Chesapeake Bay off Somerset County. Officials at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station called the State Police Aviation Command dispatch center and said they had been talking with a pilot who reported trouble with his aircraft and said he was trying to make it to Smith Island. His small plane had disappeared from radar about three miles off the southwest side of Smith Island, according to Pax River officials

The US Coast Guard joined the State Police search by dispatching an aircraft and vessel into the area. Officers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police responded to assist in the search with two of their boats. A second Maryland State Police helicopter, Trooper 7 from St. Mary’s County, also joined in the search.

The preliminary State Police investigation indicates Ross flew his mother in his two-seater plane from Hyde Field in Clinton, Md., yesterday to Tangier Island. After visiting the island, they were beginning their trip back to Hyde Field when the pilot began experiencing problems with the plane. He radioed the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and informed them he would try to reach Smith Island. He told State Police he was forced to land the plane in the water and that it sank rapidly.

Ross said his mother was injured in the crash, but after exiting the aircraft she was swimming with him as he attempted to help her swim in the direction of Smith Island. Ross said after about a mile of swimming in rough water with waves three to five feet high, his mother passed away. Ross continued on and was able to reach the island.

State Police have notified officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Those agencies will be responsible for investigating the cause of the crash. The plane has not been located or recovered at this time.

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ORIGINAL STORY: Maryland Natural Resources Police this morning remain on the scene of a plane crash in the Chesapeake Bay about three miles off Smith Island in Somerset County; they’re looking for an elderly woman who was a passenger on the single-engine plane when it crashed around 4:30 Sunday afternoon.

Maryland State Police and the Coast Guard were dispatched to the site after they received an emergency call from the pilot saying he was losing power and was going to try to make it to Smith Island. The plane then disappeared from radar according to air traffic controllers at Patuxent River Naval Base.

After searching for the pilot for several hours, rescuers were notified by residents on Smith Island that the pilot was on the Island after swimming ashore from the wreckage. He was taken to PRMC in Salisbury for treatment of non-life threatening injuries; he told officials that he and his elderly mother were able to get out of the plane after it crashed but she passed away while they were in the water. Her body has not yet been recovered and the FAA is investigating the crash.

http://www.wgmd.com
Maryland State Police, Natural Resources Police, and US Coast Guard resources were on the scene of the crash of a small plane in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay off Smith Island last night and investigators interviewed the pilot who swam ashore from the wreckage.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. yesterday, Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 4, from Salisbury, was dispatched for an aerial search of the Chesapeake Bay off Somerset County. Officials at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station called the State Police Aviation Command dispatch center and said they had been talking with a pilot who reported trouble with his aircraft and said he was trying to make it to Smith Island. His small plane had disappeared from radar, according to Pax River officials.

The US Coast Guard joined the State Police search by dispatching an aircraft and vessel into the area. Officers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police responded to assist in the search with two of their boats. A second Maryland State Police helicopter, Trooper 7 from St. Mary’s County, also joined in the search.

At about 8:00 p.m. last night, officials were notified by residents on Smith Island that the pilot of the plane was on the island. The pilot reported he swam to shore from the plane after it crashed in the Bay.

The pilot was flown by State Police Trooper 4 from Smith Island to the Peninsula Regional Medical Center for a medical evaluation. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The pilot told State Police at the hospital that his elderly mother was on-board the single-engine aircraft he owned. He said both were able to get out of the aircraft after it crashed and before it sank. The pilot said his mother passed away while they were in the water. The female victim has not been recovered at this time. It is believed the plane was within three miles of Smith Island when it crashed into the water.

Natural Resources Police officers on boats are remaining in the water in the area of the crash. The search is continuing for the female passenger. State Police investigators from the Princess Anne Barrack have responded to conduct an investigation.

State Police have notified officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Those agencies will be responsible for investigating the cause of the crash.

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