WING AND NO PRAYER
Rockefeller heir is killed flying plane
A botched takeoff from Westchester County Airport on Friday killed billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller’s son, Richard (left), and sent wreckage from Richard’s single-engine plane into treetops and a horse ranch.
An heir to the famed Rockefeller family was killed in a singleengine plane crash on Friday just moments after he took off in damp, foggy conditions from Westchester County Airport, authorities said.
Maine doctor Richard Rockefeller, 65, had just celebrated the 99th birthday of his billionaire philanthropist dad, David, and was attempting to fly home at 8:08 a.m. when tragedy struck.
His Piper 46 Malibu Meridian slammed into treetops and a horse farm about a halfmile from the end of the runway near SUNY Purchase, sending pieces of debris more than 100 feet in all directions.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” said family spokesman Fraser Seitel. “Richard was a wonderful, cherished son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. He was an experienced pilot.”
The 3,500pound plane piloted by Rockefeller, who had expected to land in Portland, Maine, at 9:30 a.m., nearly struck a home on Cottage Avenue in Purchase.
Daniel and Kim Lutz own the white farmhouse where Rockefeller’s plane crashed.
The town’s mayor, Ron Belmont, later spoke to Kim, who was home Friday morning.
“She thought a tree had fallen, but then she smelled the fumes and went outside,” Belmont told The Post. “She saw the plane in the yard and his body on the ground. She was very shaken up,” he said.
Investigators are looking into whether poor visibility, wind and morning mist played a role in the crash. “It was very foggy out at the time,” said airport manager Peter Scherrer, who noted that there are no visibility restrictions with private planes as there are with commercial flights.
“The plane reached about 100 feet. He was on the radio the whole time. Then the plane twisted in and crashed,” said an air controller.
Rockefeller never called in a mayday. Although there were 122 gallons of fuel on board, the plane did not catch fire.
“The plane did hit several pine trees on the way down, and we are fortunate that there was no fire,” said Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene, as well as Federal Aviation Administration officials.
NTSB safety inspector Brian Rayner said late Friday that the foul weather prevented him from inspecting the plane’s interior and datarecording equipment.
Rockefeller, who had many relatives in Westchester, often flew out of that airport. His Piper was manufactured in 2001, but the FAA couldn’t say whether there had ever been maintenance issues.
His father, David, lives in Pocantico Hills and is worth $3 billion, according to Forbes.
He is the only living grandchild of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller.
The family had gathered at the compound Thursday night to celebrate the patriarch’s birthday.
“Yesterday was a nice day for the family in celebrating the patriarch. Today they are dealing with an absolute tragedy,” said Westchester County Executive
Rob Astorino. Richard Rockefeller was an advisory trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund — a socialjustice foundation.
He worked as a physician in Portland, Maine, for 18 years and helped found the Doctors Without Borders chapter in the United States — even giving the chapter off ice space at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
“Richard gave so much of his life to support Doctors Without Borders,” said Dr. Deane Marchbein, president of Doctors Without Borders USA. “We are devastated by his loss.”
Rockefeller obtained three degrees from Harvard. He attended the undergraduate Ivy League school, then received a master’s degree in education and an M.D. from the medical school.
In recent years, he had been involved in treating veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to Seitel.
The bighearted physician is survived by his wife, Nancy, and his two adult children, Rebecca and Clayton.
Rockefeller’s first wife, Nancy Anderson, flew to Maine on Friday to comfort his current wife, Nancy King Rockefeller.
Anderson’s husband, Dale Gowen, who has known Richard since the 1980s, told The Post the entire family was devastated.
“He should be remembered as somebody who really gave his all to other people,” Gowen said. “We’re all mourning him.” West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a cousin of Richard, said in a statement, “He was a shining star of my generation.”
Additional reporting by Natasha Velez