Vintage Jet Crashes in Hudson Valley

By Sarah Wheaton
A diver being lifted from the the wreckage of a vintage military jet that crashed into the Hudson River near Kingston on Saturday afternoon. Darryl Bautista/Poughkeepsie Journal, via Associated Press A diver is lifted away from the the wreckage of a vintage military jet that crashed into the Hudson River near Kingston on Saturday afternoon.

Feb. 27, 2011, 7:28 p.m. | Updated A Cold War-era plane with a dragon’s face painted on its nose fell out of the sky on Saturday afternoon and crashed into the icy Hudson River in upstate New York.

The body of the plane’s 38-year-old pilot, Michael Faraldi, of Germantown, N.Y., was removed from the cockpit on Sunday afternoon, a spokesman for the state police said. The plane, partially submerged in mud, was pulled from the river and placed on a barge, he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the crash on Sunday.

Crews had struggled to remove the plane, a restored BAC167 Strikemaster, because of the icy and muddy portions of the Hudson River into which it had crashed, said Holly Baker, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane took off from Johnstown, Pa., and was passing low over the Kingston-Ulster Airport when it fell into the river just after 1:30 on Saturday, Ms. Baker said. The crash site, near Kingston, N.Y., is about a 100-mile drive north of New York City.

Part of a series built by the British Aircraft Corporation in the late 1960s, the plane is owned by Dragon Aviation Inc. A spokesman for the state police in Milltown said the pilot had purchased the plane in Tennessee and was flying it back to New York.

Andy Anderson, Dragon Aviation’s president and a pilot of the plane in air shows, said the missing pilot was a “very good friend of ours.” Mr. Anderson would not identify the pilot or comment further, citing the search and the investigation into the crash.

M. Amedeo Tumolillo contributed reporting.

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PeaceSouljer February 27, 2011 · 12:15 pm

What a tragedy for the Dr. and his family. Unfortunately many pilots fly outside their experience and get into trouble, here with tragic results. It takes much time to learn the nuances of a military-design aircraft, and this one with a stall speed of only 98 mph it must have dropped like a rock. Even an airport like Kingston, which was recently dramatically improved due to the efforts of Mike Zinn who also perished in a plane crash, is tricky for a plane such as this one.

Clem February 28, 2011 · 7:17 am

“…with dual ejection seats suitable even for low-altitude escape, it was widely used by third-world nations. Use of the type was restricted by most users after the Royal New Zealand Air Force found fatigue cracking in the wings of its aircraft.” An unfortunate turn of events for Mr. Faraldi – WHY didn’t he eject? Condolences to all.

Nelly Byrne February 28, 2011 · 10:16 am

Poor guy..he probably knew he was going to crash and did not want people on the ground killed. Only 38..such a shame!

JSL February 28, 2011 · 11:11 am

Pure speculation, however when the plane was demilitarized it is likely that the ejection seat was removed / made inoperable.

Brian February 28, 2011 · 11:21 am

Clem,

I am not certain about this, but I believe when a military aircraft such as the Strikemaster goes through a conversion to civilian use, the ejection seat system must be disabled.

In any event, condolences to all who knew the pilot. As a vintage aviation buff, it is always hard to hear of a tragedy like this and not feel like it was the loss of a kindred spirit.

MP February 28, 2011 · 2:16 pm

Having spoken to people who witnesses the accident, this was very likely caused by human error and not on faulty designs of the plane or airport. He was evidently doing stunts over the river before going into a nose dive.

MP February 28, 2011 · 2:28 pm

I was in the area when the crash happened. Many people who saw it have said that the pilot was doing stunts over the river before taking a nose dive. To me, it sounds like this wasn’t a case of faulty equipment or challenging conditions…just plain old human failure.

I just want to clear up some of the speculation. It’s a shame nonetheless.