Plane That Crashed in Westchester and Killed 2 People Had Hole in Crankcase, Report Shows

Feb. 5—ARMONK, N.Y — A preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated investigators found a hole in the crankcase of the plane that crashed and killed two Ohio residents near the Greenwich border last month.

Pilot Boruch Taub and passenger Benjamin Chafetz, both of Ohio, were headed from John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jan. 19 to the Cleveland area when the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 they were flying lost oil pressure, authorities said.

Taub attempted to make an emergency landing at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, but the plane crashed about two miles short of the runway on water supply land owned by the City of New York near the Greenwich border.

Taub and Chafetz were found dead when emergency crews arrived, local authorities said.

"As they were heading for their route to Ohio, which took them over Long Island, and then over the Long Island Sound, the pilot reported low oil pressure," said Westchester County Executive George Latimer hours after the crash. He said the call came in "within the first half-hour of the flight."

Over Long Island Sound, the pilot realized "he had to make an emergency landing" at Westchester County Airport, Latimer said. The pilot made contact with air traffic controllers, but as the plane continued to fly toward the Westchester airport, it was "losing altitude," Latimer said.

Taub repeatedly told controllers that the aircraft was "experiencing poor flight performance" and was losing engine oil pressure, according to the report.

The plane was cleared for an emergency landing but controllers lost contact with Taub about 1.6 miles from the airport, according to the NTSB report.

The plane impacted a tree about 100 feet above ground, then hit several other trees until it came to rest on the ground about 250 feet after hitting the first tree, the report said.

The plane was heavily damaged, with most of the wreckage on the ground, but some of the aircraft remains were suspended in the trees, local authorities said.

An initial investigation by the NTSB revealed that there was fresh oil on the bottom of the fuselage and at the outlet of the lower crankcase breather line. There was also a hole in the top of the crankcase and a deformed cap with two fractured rod bolts inside the engine, the report said.

The engine was retained for further investigation as was an engine monitor and various electronic devices including flight instruments, the report said.

The full investigation into the crash is expected to take a year.

The airplane was registered to Daviation Inc., an Ohio company registered to Laurence E. Rohl, 79, of Willoughby, Ohio, according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Ohio Secretary of State. Rohl's various companies owned about 20 airplanes as of 2011, according to a ruling in a lawsuit over a financial dispute.

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