The single-engine, Beech BE35-model plane left Grand Strand Airport in North Myrtle Beach destined for Plainville Connecticut and crashed at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday after the pilot reported a partial instrumentation failure to air traffic control, officials said. The debris field stretches about two miles. He said there was no evidence that there was an explosion midair, and that the spread of the wreckage suggested the plane came apart while it was flying. There were no injuries reported on the ground.
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Parenteau’s father told staff members and Dr. Lockridge Wednesday morning that Parenteau and Berube had died in the accident, according to Danielle Wright, who works at the close-knit doctors’ office where everyone considered themselves more friends than co-workers. “If you believe in God, please say a prayer for them”.
The Hartford Courant reports Berube raced at numerous tracks in New England between 1990 and 2013.
Investigators are combing the area for debris, and said it could take up to a year before they can determine an exact cause.
Senior NTSB investigator Robert Gretz says there is no indication why the small plane broke up.
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Gretz said that they’re looking into the failure of instruments in the plane’s instrument panel – similar to a vehicle dashboard – before the plane broke apart. The crash was reportedly in a wooded area near South Woods Middle School, Syosset High school and Berry Hill Elementary School, and was preceded by a mayday call from the pilot. He said he’s seen about five such cases in his 18 years on the job.
