A small plane crashed into a rural neighborhood in Stow, Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon, sending three individuals to the hospital. The aircraft was discovered in a wooded area between two residential properties. Currently, no information is available about the three injured in the plane crash.
A spokesperson with local law enforcement said that officers and firefighters could respond to the event quickly. Several 911 calls came in after 1 p.m. Law enforcement and firefighters reached the single-engine Cessna 182 in a forested area between two homes.
Three people were injured in this small plane crash. It came down near a swing set and home just south of the runway in Stow, Mass. https://t.co/tWpmVkEbLU pic.twitter.com/Bai14WmOOZ
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) July 23, 2023
A fire department official reported the accident occurred on Taylor Road. One of the plane’s three occupants managed to exit the aircraft, but the other two needed assistance from first responders. The spokesperson also said all three were evacuated to neighboring Minute Man Air Field.
The three individuals from the plane were transported directly to a Worcester hospital via medical helicopter. None of them suffered life-threatening injuries. Firefighters told the press they aren’t sure what caused the crash, but Stow police are investigating.
A Minute Man Air Field employee reportedly told The Boston Globe, “There was a forced landing.” The employee also stated that the plane encountered some issues in the air. The Federal Aviation Administration sent an email saying they would investigate the matter.
How could something like this happen? Well, an interesting study by WUSA9 Verify researchers dug deeper into small aircraft accidents. Their findings revealed that small planes are more at a significantly heightened risk of being involved in more accidents than commercial flights.
In 2019, there were 1,220 accidents, 233 of which were fatal. Commercial planes had 40 accidents in 2019, two of which included fatalities. NTSB data showed that in 2019, the accident rate for commercial flights was 0.2 accidents for every 100,000 hours flown.
For a private plane, it was 25x higher at 5.6 accidents for every 100 hours flown. President of Transportation Safety & Security Consulting, Inc, Charley Pereira, said, “In general, it’s an experience thing and a regulatory oversight and requirements thing.”
He adds, “On the maintenance side, on general aviation, your maintenance requirements are far, far, lower.” On the other hand, an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association spokesperson said, “General aviation has experienced one of the safest years on record, according to NTSB data.”.
