Two individuals tragically lost their lives when a small aircraft crashed onto a Massachusetts freeway earlier this week. The married couple reportedly took flight without a predetermined flight plan, leaving the aircraft’s owners perplexed about the purpose of the flight.
Identified as Thomas Perkins, 68, and Agatha Perkins, 66, from Middletown, Rhode Island, the couple was confirmed deceased in the small Air Charity Network plane that went down on I-195 in Dartmouth during the busy morning rush hour on Monday. Wind gusts at the time reached up to 55 mph, as reported by Boston 25 News.
In a separate incident, an unidentified female motorist sustained non-life-threatening injuries when her silver Hyundai Sonata was severely damaged during the crash.
According to Massachusetts State Police, “The aircraft might have been trying to land at New Bedford Regional Airport, yet there was no evidence the pilot notified the airport regarding a flight plan or the number of individuals on board.”
The couple was en route to Kenosha, Wisconsin, flying in a single-engine fixed-wing aircraft registered to the Air Charity Network—an organization providing free air transport for patients needing specialized medical care, as outlined by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
However, representatives from Air Charity Network and their respective regional affiliates in Massachusetts and Wisconsin confirmed that the aircraft was not associated with any scheduled flights under their services.
“We are in communication to identify which public benefit flying organization the pilot was affiliated with, but we have yet to find out,” stated Brendan Sneegas, CEO of Angel Flight Central, to the Journal Sentinel.
Ownership of the plane has been traced to Easton Air LLC, as per FAA records. Notably, both Easton Air and Air Charity Network are located in the Perkins’ home state of Rhode Island.
Images captured at the scene depict the charred wreckage of the single-engine SOCATA TBM 700 surrounded by emergency responders in the median of the highway.
Witnesses reported that the plane erupted in flames upon hitting the ground.
The precise cause of the incident is currently under investigation, coinciding with a severe fall storm impacting the northeastern United States.
Due to the ongoing federal shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration has not been able to provide further details regarding the crash to the media, according to Boston 25 News.
