Plane Crash in Connecticut May Have Been Suicide
photo via AP.
A small plane crash in Connecticut Tuesday that killed one person and badly injured another may have been suicide.
Officials this afternoon are closely guarding information about Tuesday’s crash in East Hartford that left fiery wreckage on the street near a manufacturer of jet engine parts called Pratt & Whitney.
Police at a news conference Wednesday would say only that the crash was “intentional,” and declined to confirm a report from the Associated Press that one of its passengers downed the plane to commit suicide. The AP cited an official who was not authorized to speak with the media, who identified the surviving victim as a flight instructor, and the deceased victim his student. The investigation has not turned up signs that the crash was an act of terror, the AP and other outlets have reported.
While the investigation is ongoing, East Hartford Police Lt. Josh Litwin would not rule out any possible reason for the crash, including terrorism.
He did confirm that a search of a nearby apartment was related to the case, which is now being overseen as a joint effort by the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board.
East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc, meanwhile, told reporters that although she couldn’t say more about the probe, she felt more relaxed today after hearing from investigators.
The Hartford Courant reports that the crash came after an argument inside the small plane’s cockpit. Sources told the paper that the student “started flying the plane erratically and the instructor fought to gain control before the crash.” Officials could not confirm that, either.
