Milton, N.Y. — A grandfather died on Halloween after the plane he was flying crashed into a tree in Upstate New York.
Frederick M. Baber died on Friday, Oct. 31, after his small plane hit a tree and fell into the driveway of a home in Milton, WTEN reported. His only passenger, Alexander Hoff, was seriously injured in the crash, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The accident happened at 10:24 a.m. on Wyndham Way, a cul-de-sac that borders the Saratoga County Airport in the Capital Region. A wind advisory warning of 35 to 40 mph wind gusts was in place for much of Upstate shortly after the crash.
Baber, a 58-year-old pilot from Port Charlotte, Florida, was taking off from the airport’s runway when his plane crashed, the sheriff’s office told the Times Union.
Hoff, the passenger, was trying to crawl out of the wreckage when Wyndham Way residents ran outside and pulled him to safety, the Times Union reported.
Neighbors tossed water onto the flames while others tried to free Baber, who was trapped in the burning plane, the Times Union said.
Baber was killed in the crash, deputies said. He was a husband, father and grandfather.
After the crash, one of Baber’s grieving children wrote a note on Facebook to the pilot. She described her heartbreak at never getting another bear hug from him and facing the reality that her young son wouldn’t get to see his “pawpaw” again.
“Fly high above the heavenly clouds,” she wrote. “You have traded your pilot wings for golden ones. I love you so so much, but I’m going to miss you even more.”
Hoff, the 39-year-old New Hampshire man injured in the plane crash, was rushed to the Albany Medical Center for treatment. An update on his condition was not immediately available.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the plane crash.
Deputies were assisted at the scene by the New York State Police; the New York State Park Police; firefighters from the Ballston Spa, Rock City Falls, Round Lake, Wilton, Saratoga Springs, Galway, Greenfield, Malta Ride and Harmony Corners fire departments; Community EMS; the Saratoga County Office of Emergency Management; and the Saratoga County Hazardous Material Team.