One dead from injuries suffered in Falmouth Airpark plane crash
Mary Ann BraggEAST FALMOUTH — One of two people in the single-engine plane that crashed Friday afternoon at the private Falmouth Airpark has died.
Carl Willis, 83, was believed to be the pilot in command of the flight, airpark President Ed Stadelman said Sunday, based on his conversation with the Federal Aviation Administration. Willis was pronounced dead at Falmouth Hospital, according to the state police.
The other person in the plane, Candace Oldham, 70, is also a pilot, Stadelman and state police said. Oldham was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries on Friday.
The fixed-wing, single-engine plane is registered in Oldham's name, according to an FAA database.
"Candy is hopefully recovering," Stadelman said.
A group from the Falmouth Airpark flew to Westfield airport for the day
The pair were returning from an airpark group activity at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. The group, in their individual planes, had flown there for lunch at a favorite airport restaurant. They were returning home when the plane crashed.
The airpark is operated by a homeowners association and comprises 91 residential lots and a runway. About 40 houses have access to the runway and the residents are flyers.
"It’s a very tight community," Stadelman said. "They were very much a cornerstone of this community."
At the scene of the crash, which occurred around 4:15 p.m. on Friday, one person on a stretcher was being rushed to a medical helicopter.
The aircraft crashed in a grassy area short of the northeast side of Runway 25, according to the state police. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.
In 2012, Jeffrey Mandeville, the pilot of a single-engine private plane, crashed in woods near the Falmouth Airpark.. Mandeville met rescue personnel as they responded to the crash and declined medical treatment.
Contact Mary Ann Bragg at mbragg@capecodonline.com.
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