Two Farmingdale State College students were killed Wednesday night when their small plane crashed near an airport in northeastern Pennsylvania. A fellow student on the plane survived.
The single-engine Mooney M20J (N9154K) reportedly hit a tree and crashed into a wooden area near the end of the runway while attempting to take off from Spring Hill Airport in Sterling, Penn., about 14 miles east of Scranton.
Authorities reported the victims as 34-year-old Patrick Sheridan of Long Beach, NY and 19-year-old Casey Falconer of Garden City Park, NY. The surviving passenger, taken to the hospital with undisclosed injuries, was identified as 21-year-old Evan Kisseloff of Oceanside, NY. [Kisseloff is a member of the NYCAviation Forums and we wish him a speedy recovery.]
FAA records indicate the plane was built in 1995 and was owned by Sheridan Air LLC of Long Beach, NY.
Farmingdale State College, which offers an extensive aviation program, said the flight was not connected with the school.
FlightAware data showed that the plane had flown from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY, to Lancaster Airport in Lititz, Penn., Wednesday morning, before continuing to Spring Hill in the evening. The plane’s destination from Spring Hill was not immediately available.
