One presumed dead, three hurt after Connecticut plane crash

(Reuters) – A small, twin-engine plane crashed on Tuesday afternoon in the downtown business district of East Hartford, Connecticut, and authorities said one person was presumed to be dead and three others injured.

Two people were aboard the plane at the time of the crash, and the pilot was taken to an area hospital with “significant” injuries, East Hartford Fire Chief John Oates told reporters at an evening news conference. He said the passenger was believed to still be in the plane’s wreckage.

East Hartford Police Lieutenant Timothy Juergens said by phone that two people who were on the ground when the plane crashed around 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT) were also injured and taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

“The area is very busy at that time of day and it missed everything. It’s a miracle that more people weren’t injured or killed,” Juergens said.

Local broadcaster WFSB reported the plane was “in pieces,” and that wires and telephone poles had been knocked down in the area. Photos published by the broadcaster showed flames and black smoke shooting from the wreckage as bystanders gawked at the debris.

Juergens said the plane departed from Hartford-Brainard Airport and was likely attempting to return when it crashed. He said the Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Cooney and Alan Crosby)