Hub docs killed in Conn. plane crash
Four people who died in the crash of a small jet in Connecticut were identified Friday as a Boston couple, who are both doctors, and two local pilots.
Police in Farmington said Courtney Haviland, 33, her husband, William Shrauner, 32, were passengers on the jet that crashed into a manufacturing company building Thursday morning shortly after takeoff from Robertson Airport in Plainville, Conn.
The pilots were William O’Leary, 55, of Bristol, Conn., and Mark Morrow, 57, of Danbury, Conn., Farmington Police Lt. Tim McKenzie said.
“The Farmington Police Department extends their deepest condolences to the friends and family of the four passengers who died in this tragic crash,” McKenzie said in a statement.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene of the fiery crash Friday. The cause remains under investigation.
Haviland, who grew up in Farmington, was a fellow at Brown Pediatric Emergency Medicine in Providence, working at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Shrauner was a cardiology fellow at Boston Medical Center. Both attended Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our cardiology fellows, Dr. Will Shrauner, and his wife, Dr. Courtney Haviland,” Boston Medical Center said in a statement Friday. “Will … was well known as an outstanding educator, physician, colleague and friend to many. Our thoughts and prayers are with Will and Courtney’s family and loved ones.”
The Cessna Citation 560X took off just before 10 a.m. on a flight headed to Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, N.C., the Federal Aviation Administration said. McKenzie said there appeared to be some type of mechanical failure during takeoff.
The jet contacted the ground a short distance from the runway and crashed into a building at Trumpf Inc. The impact set off chemical fires inside the building. Two employees suffered minor injuries, officials said.
Burke Doar, senior vice president at Trumpf, said in a video posted on Twitter that company officials were assessing the damage Friday and trying to get production of machine tools and lasers for customers back on track.