Witnesses Saw Plane "Tumbling"

A homebuilt Vans RV-4 went down Sunday in the Orange County town of Wallkill, NY. According to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker, the accident occurred Sunday evening and killed two people.

As of Monday night, it was not known who was on board the aircraft (type shown above), where it was headed or why it crashed, according to the Times Herald-Record.

Off-duty firefighter Patrick Cullen said he watched the plane make a loop then go straight down. He went to the crash site and found the aircraft crumpled and folded into itself.

Another witness, Sandra Perratta, said she initially thought the pilot was performing aerobatics. She and a friend saw it "twist and turn," and heard the engine quit.

"I look up and see it, then it was just tumbling and tumbling," she said.

The aircraft then disappeared behind a line of trees, followed by a "boom" and people screaming, Perratta said.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 14VS        Make/Model: RV4       Description: RV-4
  Date: 06/24/2007     Time: 2237

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: WALLKILL   State: NY   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A FIELD UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE TWO PERSONS ON
  BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, NEAR WALLKILL, NY

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   2
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KMGJ 242154Z VRB04KT 10SM CLR 28/12 A3004

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: ALBANY, NY  (EA01)                    Entry date: 06/25/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov