NEW YORK — A small plane crashed near the Westchester County Airport Thursday night, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and a search and rescue operation is now underway to find him and the two people on board.
The single-engine plane, an A36 Beechcraft Bonanza, took off from New York City’s JFK Airport just before 5 pm and was headed for the Cuyahoga County Airport in Richmond Heights, Ohio, the FAA said in a statement. The pilot reported that he had low oil pressure at 5:25 pm and then reported engine trouble when the plane was about a mile from Westchester County Airport.
Soon after, the White Plains airport lost contact with the aircraft.
There were two people, the pilot and a passenger, on board the plane when it crashed, sources told NBC 4 New York. The FAA said local personnel were conducting search and rescue efforts to find the plane, which is still missing, as well as the two people on board.
The focus of the search was near the north end of Rye Lake, off Cooley Hill Road in Armonk. The plane may have crashed into or near a lake in a wooded area that was dark and rainy all night.
Government sources with direct knowledge of the incident said the plane seats a maximum of six people. The aircraft’s tail number is traced to the T&G Flying Club in Ohio.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide updates.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.