1 dead, 2 hospitalized in Long Island crash of sightseeing plane

One person was dead and two other people were hospitalized with significant injuries in crash of a sightseeing plane in Long Island, New York, on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash, about 20 miles east of New York City, was reported after 3 p.m. when air traffic controllers got the small plane’s mayday report of smoke in the cockpit, Suffolk County Police Chief of Detectives John Rowan said at a news conference.

One of three people on board was dead at the scene; the two others sustained what Rowan described as significant injuries. They were rushed to a hospital by medical helicopter, he said.

The survivors’ conditions were unavailable, Rowan said. Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Shaffer said he believes the two suffered critical injuries.

The wreckage was in brush and woods near Long Island Railroad tracks, Shaffer told NBC New York. The plane missed an adjacent neighborhood, he said.

The aircraft is a single-engine Piper PA 28, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. It was approaching Republic Airport in nearby Farmingdale when it went down, the agency said.

Rowan said the plane was being used for a sightseeing tour and was attempting its final approach for a landing when it crashed.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The identities of those on board weren’t immediately available. No injuries on the ground were reported.