Crime & Safety

Four Bodies Recovered After East Haven Plane Crash

The bodies of the pilot, his son, and the two children residing in one of the houses were recovered from the plane crash scene around midnight Aug. 9.

By Fay Abrahammson 

Four bodies have been recovered from the site of Friday morning's plane crash in East Haven, a fire official said Saturday, according to a news report in the Huffington Post.

Presumed dead are the pilot, Bill Henningsgaard, his 17-year old son Maxwell, and two children who lived at 64 Charter Oak Ave. in East Haven, Sade Brantley, 13 and Madisyn Mitchell, 1.  The children's names were identified in an article in the New Haven Register. 

The pilot and his son were from Washington state and were in a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B. It had taken off that morning from Teterboro, New Jersey enroute to Tweed New Haven Airport. Family members said they were on the East Coast looking at colleges. 

Find out what's happening in Naugatuckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The mother of the two children survived and managed to escape from the house after it was struck. 

East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., said the mother was doing as well as expected under the circumstance. 

Find out what's happening in Naugatuckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The bodies were pulled from the site Friday shortly before midnight, said Anthony Moscato, deputy chief of the East Haven Fire Department, in the Huffington Post report. He said they are believed to be the only victims.

The small plane, piloted by Henningsgaard, struck two homes on Charter Oak Avenue, #68 and #64, in the late morning of Aug. 9.  

According to Tweed Airport Manager Lori Hoffman-Soares, the plane was on its approach to Tweed. Airport officials said there was no distress call. 

Immediately following the crash, the East Haven Fire Department, along with other local fire departments, East Haven Police and other local police, Connecticut State Police, the Mobile Incident Command, the State Fire Marshal, the Police Mobile Command Center, and other first responders descended upon the scene. 

Officials at the scene included Gov. Dannel Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and others.  The Red Cross was also available on scene. 

A neighbor, Edward Tracey, who said he heard the crash and saw the flames, said the owner of #68 Charter Oak Avenue was not at home when the plane crashed, but at work. Tracey said he was told that another neighbor had called the homeowner, a single man, to inform him of the crash. 

According to the Huffington Post story, remains of the four individuals were sent to the Connecticut medical examiner's office.

The National Transportation Safety Board continued its investigation of the crash.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.