1 dead after plane used for skydiving crashes in New York

One person was killed when a Cessna 208B plane used for skydiving operations crashed near Youngstown, New York, Saturday afternoon, CNN reported.

The plane, which belonged to Skydive the Falls, had released all skydivers and was returning to land when the crash occurred, according to a news release from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane went down just before 1 p.m. near Lake Road.

FAA spokeswoman Tammy L. Jones confirmed that the pilot, who was alone on board, was performing parachute jumps before the crash. The exact number of skydivers on board before the incident remains unclear, Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti said.

After the crash, a wildfire broke out around the site, which the first crew had to extinguish. Sheriff Filicetti described the plane crash as “an unfortunate incident” and stated that local and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to determine the cause of the crash.

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“Well, I think this is just like any other emergency… You come here and you want to try to save lives. Unfortunately, in this case, we couldn’t do that,” Filicetti said.

An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive at the crash site to document the wreckage, which will then be moved to a secure facility for further analysis, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said. The investigation will focus on three main areas: the pilot, the airplane and the operating environment.