The 79-year-old man who piloted a private plane that crash-landed at Martha’s Vineyard Airport on Saturday, July 15, and died less than a week later has been identified.
Cape and Island District Attorney Robert J. Galabois’s office confirmed in a statement that Randolph Bonnist of Norwalk, Connecticut, died at Boston Medical Center on July 20.
The pilot suffered a medical emergency upon the final approach to the airport shortly before 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. The passenger, a 68-year-old Connecticut woman, then took over the controls and tried to land the small aircraft, according to a Facebook post from the West Tisbury Police Department.
The plane landed on its belly with no landing gear in a grassy area near a runway at the airport, authorities said. The aircraft’s left wing broke in half as a result of the crash. The aircraft, a six-seat 2006 Piper Meridian Turboprop, had departed from Westchester, New York earlier in the afternoon, State Police detailed.
Bonnist’s wife, Robin, was not injured, Galbois’ office said.
Representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash. No foul play is suspected, Galabois’ office said.
A second crash occurred at Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday, July 23, when the pilot of single-engine Arnold Volksplane VP-1 had contacted air traffic control and declared an emergency about two miles east of the airport, police said. While attempting to land on the runway, the plane lost altitude and landed in a field in the neighboring Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.
The pilot, who was the only person onboard, was not injured.
