Feds arrive at scene of plane crash on Mass. highway that left couple dead

DARTMOUTH, Mass. — Federal investigators arrived at the scene of a deadly plane crash along a Massachusetts highway that left a married couple dead during the fall nor’easter on Monday morning.

A fixed-wing, single-engine Socata TBM 700 with two people onboard had just taken off from New Bedford Regional Airport when it went down near the Reed Road exit on Interstate 195 in Dartmouth around 8:15 a.m., officials said.

The victims were identified as Thomas and Agatha Perkins, a married couple in their 60s from Middletown, Rhode Island. They were found in the fuselage, which came to rest in the highway’s grassy median.

Drone video shows crashed plane resting in median on I-195 in Dartmouth

According to witnesses, the crash sparked fires along the highway and left a chaotic scene. A woman driving on I-195 was also injured in the crash but has since been treated and released from the hospital.

“All of a sudden, I just saw a cloud of smoke, and then a mushroom cloud and bright red flames,” commuter Charles Griffin recalled.

Massachusetts State Police secured the scene overnight, and federal investigators launched their investigation into the cause of the crash on Tuesday morning.

As a result of the ongoing federal investigation, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced that the high-speed lanes on the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway at Exit 19 would be closed until at least 8 p.m. Tuesday

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Tom Kinton, the President of Kinton Aviation Consulting, told NBoston 25 that a nor’easter makes it tough for any smaller plane to fly.

“First thing I would look at is the weather,” Kinton said when asked about a possible cause of the crash. “It’s always a pilot’s decision to go to the tower, can’t tell them not to go.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with troopers assigned to the Bristol County State Police Detective Unit assisting at the scene.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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