A small, single-engine airplane with three people aboard crashed into trees while practicing takeoffs and landings at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach on Sunday morning, authorities said.
The Ryan Navion F, a circa 1951 propeller plane, crashed at the Suffolk County-run airport at 11:40 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is responding to the incident. Two people were killed in the crash.
Richard Rosenthal, 61, of HUntington Station, the owner of the plane lone survivor of the crash, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of his injuries. Those killed in the crash were identified by police as Arieh Narkunski, the 64-year-old flight instructor, from Brooklyn, and a passenger, 65-year-old Robert A. Wilkie of Hempstead.
Southampton Town Police said New York State police also responded to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation and will determine probable cause, the FAA said.
