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Plane That Crashed in Meriden Flew Out of Westchester, New York

The Federal Aviation Administration has been called in to investigate and is expected Friday

Two people were injured when a Piper plane crashed on the baseball fields at H.C. Wilcox Technical High School in Meriden Thursday.

The plane, which departed from Westchester County in New York, lost power and hit a high-tension wire just after 7 p.m., knocking out power to thousands throughout Meriden for hours.

The crash also caused Wilcox Technical High School to close on Friday.

Police said one of the people in the plane was able to crawl out before emergency crews arrived. A second person was extricated.

Lifestar responded to transport the passenger in the plane to Hartford Hospital. An ambulance brought the pilot to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury.

Medical personnel said the injuries were minor.

“Thankfully if there is any luck to be had is there were no events on the field tonight. No one was injured. And it looks like the injuries that have been sustained are non-life threatening,” Sgt. Chris Fry with Meriden Police said.

The FAA said the plane was a Piper PA-28 and state police said the tail number for the four-seat plane is N38658. The FAA Registry says the plane is registered to the Westchester Flying Club.

Wilcox Technical High School is not far from the Meriden Markham Municipal Airport, and Fry said it appears they were practicing “touch and goes” at the airport.

“From what we’re understanding perhaps a mention was made they were practicing touch and goes. From what I gather simple touching down, taking off practicing landing and taking off. At what time from what I’m understanding is perhaps they would have lost power which prompted the crash landing,” Fry said.

Connecticut State Police have responded to assist and the Federal Aviation Administration is expected Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the cause of the crash.

Crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were also called because of a minor fuel leak.

The crash damaged high-tension power lines in the area, knocking out power to approximately 17,000 Eversource customers. Eversource said they restored power early Friday morning.

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