crash

2 Hamden Residents Killed in Vermont Glider Crash

A glider crashed in the mountains in Vermont, killing all three people on board, including two people from Hamden.

Officials have identified the victims as Frank Moroz III, 58, and Suzanne Moroz, 56, of Hamden, Connecticut, and Donald Post, 70, of Stowe, Vermont. Post was the pilot of the glider.

A recovery operation is currently underway to remove the bodies from the site of the crash and bring them down to a staging area at the Beaver Meadow Trailhead in the Mount Mansfield State Forest, police said. The chief medical examiner will perform autopsies to determine their causes of death.

State police said search and rescue crews spotted the wreckage from the air at about 5:35 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after taking off to make one last pass over the area before thunderstorms arrived. Crews reached the wreckage near the summit of Sterling Mountain in Morristown late Wednesday and discovered the bodies of the glider pilot and two passengers.

According to state police, the glider's fuselage was reportedly found intact, with the wings torn away at the crash.

Officials said thunderstorms had delayed the search efforts.

State police said a tow plane with the glider attached took off from the Morrisville-Stowe State Airport around 11:30 a.m. The glider disconnected a short time later.

Morrisville police received a report that the glider was missing shortly before 2 p.m. It was later spotted about 1,000 feet (305 meters) from the summit of Sterling Mountain.

The glider, a Schweizer with tail number 17970, was owned by Stowe Soaring. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us