The Hanscom plane crash that occurred in Bedford, Massachusetts on Saturday night tragically claimed the lives of seven people. Two of those people have now been positively identified. The plane was a private Gulfstream IV jet. It crashed as it took off from Hanscom Field for Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Lewis Katz, 72, was among those killed. He was the owner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Katz had just taken ownership of the publication on May 27th when he and H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest won a private bid for it and its parent company for $88 million. He had been in Massachusetts to attend the Concord River Institute’s spring fundraiser on Saturday. He was heading home when the plane crashed.
Katz’s children issued a written statement saying their father, “never forgot where and how he grew up, and he worked tirelessly to support his community in countless ways that were seen and unseen.”
Anne Leeds, 74, was also killed in the Hanscom plane crash. She was the wife of Longport, New Jersey Commissioner James P. Leeds. The remaining five victims have yet to be positively identified.
ntsb, faa & fbi are investigating deadly plane crash @ hanscom air field in bedford. 7 ppl died. #wbz #wbznews pic.twitter.com/9vRRAv2Oyc
— kim tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) June 1, 2014
Tara Harding was staying with her family at the Quality Inn in Bedford on Saturday night. She both heard the explosion and saw the plane burst into flames. Harding told Boston.com she immediately called 911 to report the crash.
“When we originally heard it, it was so loud. I thought it was closer than it was,” she said. “My 4-year-old son was even startled by the noise.”
“We were panicked, because we thought ‘what could we do other than call 911,’” Harding added. ”It sounded like the plane was shutting down, like that engine-failure sound you hear in movies.”
An investigation into the reason for the crash is underway and being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police and the NTSB.
Image via YouTube
