‘I could feel fear’: Lazy afternoon turns into scare of lifetime when plane crashes near Stow homes

STOW, Mass. — A neighborhood resident jumped into action when a small Cessna airplane carrying three people crashed in a residential area near an airfield in Stow on Sunday.

At about 1:06 p.m. on Sunday, police received multiple 911 calls reporting that a plane had crashed in the area of 181 Taylor Road.

Upon arrival, first responders found a Cessna plane in a heavily wooded area along a home’s property line, near a child’s swing set and a trampoline. All three people onboard suffered injuries that were believed to be non-life-threatening.

No one was home at the time. The plane knocked down a tree, which grazed the home. Stow’s Building Inspector determined the damage was superficial, officials said.

One passenger was able to disembark from the airplane, and first responders extricated the other two passengers.

A lazy Sunday afternoon for the Morancy family turned into the scare of a lifetime when a small plane crashed next to where their children play.

“We had never heard it before, loud boom and I think as soon as we ran out here and saw the leaves flying everywhere like someone had just shaved the tops of all the trees,” said neighbor Tye Morancy. “When I got over there, there were people moaning and yelling.”

Morancy tried his best to help them until the ambulance arrives.

“I could feel that fear,” said Morancy. “The seatbelt has this person trapped and I am just thinking cut that, move that, break that off, throw that out of the way, and then I heard the sirens and I couldn’t be more thankful for that sound.”

Emergency crews responded to the Minute Man Air Field to secure a landing zone for medical helicopters. All three passengers were taken by ambulance to the landing area and then flown to area hospitals. Their conditions were not known Sunday.

A relative told Boston 25 the plane had departed from Lake Placid New York and was supposed to land at Minute Man Air Field. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified about the crash, and will investigate further, officials said.

Since Stow has several airports, first responders train regularly at Minute Man Air Field on small aircraft response through the state Department of Fire Services, officials said.

Officers from the Stow, Maynard, and Boxborough police departments responded and assisted with patient care alongside firefighters and paramedics.

In a statement Sunday night, Stow Fire Chief John Benoit and Stow Police Chief Michael Sallese said they “wish to recognize the professional work of their departments at the scene.”

The FAA is assisting with an investigation into the crash.

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