Plainville

Police Identify Pilot Killed in Plane Crash in Plainville

Police say the pilot, 67-year-old Donald Eckberg of Burlington, was the only person on the plane when it crashed.

A plane crashed in a landfill in Plainville Thursday morning and Plainville police said the pilot has died.

The pilot, identified by police as 67-year-old Donald Eckberg, of Burlington, was the only person on the twin-engine plane that crashed on Granger Lane at 10:24 a.m., near Robertson Airport and he was thrown from the aircraft.

A friend told NBC Connecticut he and Eckberg built the plane he was flying, which was classified as an experimental aircraft.

Richard Marr, who is the co-owner of the plane and Eckberg's best friend, said Eckberg was always very careful and took precautions while flying, so he's not sure what could have gone wrong.

A Tweet from the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane is a Rutan Defiant and the federal agency is investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.

The plane crash is near condos and several residents reported hearing a plane flying very low then a boom.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call police.

The area surrounding the crash will be closed to the public during the investigation. 

A plane has crashed in Plainville and several emergency crews have responded to the scene.

The last fatal plane crash in Connecticut was on Sept. 16, 2017 in North Branford, according to NTSB records. NASCAR champion Ted Christopher, 59, and the pilot, 81-year-old Charles Dundas, were killed in that crash. 

No additional information was immediately available.

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