Witness Says Plane Rolled After Takeoff

A Beechcraft Baron 55 went down Thursday shortly after takeoff from Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear, NY, outside the Village of Saranac Lake.

The pilot, Scott Thomas of Saranac Lake, crashed in a wooded area just beyond the runway. It is the first crash on airport property, according to New York's Channel 10.

The airport manager witnessed the crash just after one yesterday afternoon and called 911. Another witness to the crash included state police Trooper Keith Brown, who said he noticed the plane taking off after arriving at the airport's cafe for a lunch break.

"It was about 50 feet in the air. It appeared to begin to ascend at a very steep angle," he told the Press-Republican of Plattsburgh, adding the plane looked like it was going to stall, almost like it was going to do a stunt.

"I thought, 'This takeoff looks abnormal,"' Brown said. The aircraft then started to roll left, the nose plummeted, and the plane went straight down.

"There was a limited search and rescue to get to the aircraft and that was conducted in conjunction with airport personnel, local firefighters, local Saranac Lake volunteer fire department.," said Christopher Kreig, Adirondack Regional Airport Manager.

FAA and NTSB investigators are at the accident scene, about 45 miles south of the Canadian border in the northern Adirondacks.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 868ST        Make/Model: BE55      Description: 55 Baron (T-42 Cochise, C-55, E-20)
  Date: 04/18/2007     Time: 1714

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

LOCATION
  City: SARANAC LAKE   State: NY   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED, ADIRONDACK REGIONAL AIRPORT, SARANAC LAKE, NY

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KSLK 181751Z AUTO 10SM BKN020 OVC024 05/01 A2991

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: SARANAC LAKE, NY            Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ALBANY, NY  (EA01)                    Entry date: 04/19/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.saranaclake.com/airport/index.html