Ferrisburgh, VT (September 9, 2024) – A tragic plane crash claimed the lives of four individuals, including a teenager, on Sunday, September 8 in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. The single-engine Piper aircraft, which had four seats, departed from Windham Airport in Connecticut around 8:30 a.m., heading to Basin Harbor Airport for a scheduled brunch. After leaving the restaurant just after noon, the aircraft failed to return to Connecticut, prompting concerned relatives to alert the authorities.
Using cellphone location data, officials pinpointed the plane’s last known position near the airstrip. The wreckage was discovered early Monday in a wooded area east of the airport by a drone operated by Middlebury police. The victims, identified as Paul Pelletier, 55; Frank Rodriguez, 88; Susan Van Ness, 51; and Delilah Van Ness, 15, all from Connecticut, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigations by the Vermont State Police and other agencies are ongoing, with autopsies to determine the exact causes of death.