FARMINGTON, Conn. (WTIC and AP) — Four people who died in a small jet crash in Farmington were identified Friday as a Boston couple who are both doctors and two local pilots.
Police said Courtney Haviland, 33, her husband, William Shrauner, 32, were passengers on the jet that crashed into a manufacturing company building Thursday morning shortly after takeoff from Robertson Airport in Plainville.
The pilots were William O'Leary, 55, of Bristol, and Mark Morrow, 57, of Danbury, Farmington police Lt. Tim McKenzie said.
“The Farmington Police Department extends their deepest condolences to the friends and family of the four passengers who died in this tragic crash,” McKenzie said in a statement.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene of the fiery crash Friday. The cause remains under investigation.
The Cessna Citation 560X took off just before 10 a.m. on a flight headed to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, North Carolina, the Federal Aviation Administration said. McKenzie said there appeared to be some type of mechanical failure during takeoff.
The jet contacted the ground a short distance from the runway and crashed into a building at Trumpf Inc. The impact set off chemical fires inside the building. Two employees suffered minor injuries, officials said.
