A 15-year-old high school student and her teacher are among the four passengers killed in a Vermont small plane crash over the weekend.
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According to the Vermont State Police, the four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft departed from Windham Airport in Connecticut at about 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 8. The student, Delilah Van Ness, was traveling with her mother, Susan Van Ness, as well as teacher Paul Pelletier.
The aircraft was heading to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferisburgh, Vermont. It landed at the airport two hours later and took off again at 12:15 p.m.
Although no reports were indicating an aircraft in distress or that a plane had crashed, the plane failed to return to Connecticut as expected. Relatives of the passengers on board called the Connecticut State Police and the Middletown (Connecticut) Police Department to report the situation.
The agencies worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They used cellphone location data to determine the plane’s last known whereabouts, which was near the airstrip in Vermont.
After being notified, the Vermont State Police, troopers from the New Haven Barracks as well as members of Middlebury Police Department and the City of Vergennes Fire Department investigated the area. They disclosed the small plane crash at 12:20 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9.
Delilah and her mother as well as Pelletier and the pilot, Frank Rodriguez, did not survive the small plane crash.
Vermont State Police further reported the bodies of the passengers were taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are the lead investigative agencies on the airplane crash,” Vermont State Police stated. “Questions about that aspect of this case should be directed to those agencies. VSP’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations is responsible for the death investigation.”
Connecticut School District Speaks Out After Student and Teacher Dies in Small Plane Crash
In a statement, Middletown Public Schools spoke out about the student and teacher who perished in the small plane crash.
“This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community,” Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos, Superintendent of Middletown Public Schools stated. “Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals whose absence is already being felt throughout our district and city.”
Pelletier was an Aerospace and Manufacturing teacher at Middletown High School since 2019. It was reported that Delilah had been taking flight lessons with Pelletier. They were accompanied by Rodriguez.
“The reasons for the crash are still unknown and are under investigation by the Vermont State Police,” the superintendent continued. “This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community. Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals. Their absence will be felt in our classrooms, hallways, and throughout our district and city.”