by Bea Peterson
Shortly before 1 pm on a beautiful, warm Sunday afternoon, April 28, several 911 calls were received reporting a plane crash in Hoosick Falls. The single engine Aeronica model airplane, piloted by Stanton Denis King of Bunker Hill Road, Valley Falls, was seen circling the Hoosick Falls Country Club and open land behind Rogers Avenue. [private]”At first we thought it was a glider,” said Dr. David Blumberg, who was on the golf course. “It was coming in low and was very quiet. We saw it circling. It was silent, then it went out of view. Next we heard a loud boom, then silence again.”
Stan Brownell, his wife and grandson were working in their back yard on Rogers Avenue when they saw the plane circling. “It appeared to be going sideways,” said Brownell. “It was circling and brushed the tops of some of the trees in my yard. It was losing elevation and not restarting. Then there was a big thud.” Brownell said.
Many Rogers Avenue residents, the doctors that live at the top of the hill and people that were nearby on the golf course rushed to the crash scene. “It was a great group of people that responded,” Brownell said. He added that it was nerve wracking as they cautiously approached because they didn’t know what they were going to find. What they found was the pilot, strapped in, hanging upside down in the plane that had its nose imbedded in the ground. “We wanted him to stay in the plane until the rescue squad arrived,” said Brownell. “But he said no way, he wanted out.” Once out of the plane and standing, Brownell said, “He was definitely in shock and disoriented.”
According to reports, King’s neck was stabilized, and he was kept warm. “Hats off to all the responders,” said Brownell. “They were there within seconds.” The Hoosick Falls and North Hoosick Fire Departments sprayed foam on the plane as there was a strong smell of gasoline. The Hoosick Fire Department was preparing a landing site for a medivac helicopter when the call was cancelled, and Hoosick stayed on standby to cover for the other departments.
King was transported to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center by the Cambridge Ambulance. He was reported to have head, neck and internal injuries. He was later transported to Albany Medical Center where he was reported in critical condition Sunday night. Monday he was reported to be in serious condition, and on Tuesday his condition was upgraded to fair.
A Pilot’s Pilot
According to long time pilot Herb Loretan, King, 69, has been a pilot for years. King is an instructor pilot and just last year put Loretan through his biannual flight check. “He’s very thorough,” said Loretan. “He loves to fly, and he loves to instruct. He’s a pilot’s pilot.”
Loretan said King had purchased this particular plane only four or five months ago. The plane was built in 1967 and is the oldest plane stored at Chapin Field in Cambridge.
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