A pilot identified for transporting rescued canine to shelter and care amenities died alongside a canine in a aircraft crash in New York state’s Catskill Mountains on Sunday, authorities mentioned.
The deceased was recognized Monday as Seuk Kim, 49, of Springfield, Virginia. Kim was identified for flying canine in want of shelter and care to accepting amenities, as he did earlier this yr with a canine rescued from a transport container in Houston.
Green County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky advised The Associated Press the flight was related to a nonprofit that enlists volunteer pilots to move rescued animals to shelter, placement and care amenities.
First responders — together with sheriff’s deputies, state forest rangers, state police and native firefighters — descended on the crash web site within the city of Windham, New York, within the Catskills, following the 6:10 p.m. crash on Sunday, the Green County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a collection of statements.
A short assertion from the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned the crash web site discovery was made in Catskill State Park.
First responders discovered the downed aircraft, Kim’s physique, that of a deceased canine, and one animal survivor: a Labrador combine affected by two damaged legs, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. A 3rd canine was lacking, it mentioned.
The injured canine was taken by the Hyer Ground Rescue nonprofit to the a veterinary hospital, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. The lacking canine was discovered and brought by Hyer Ground and Partners for Animal Welfare to an animal care facility, it mentioned.
An post-mortem shall be performed on Kim’s physique, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.
He was flying a Mooney M20J, a propeller-driven four-seat plane, from Maryland to Albany, New York, the workplace mentioned. Albany is roughly 50 miles north-northeast of the crash web site.
The National Weather Service reported mild rain and a temperature of 39 levels shortly earlier than the crash, although it isn’t but clear if climate had something to do with the incident. Kusminsky advised the AP there was a foot of snow on the bottom the place the aircraft was found.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the reason for the crash.