Pilot dies in plane crash while spreading father's ashes
One of two brothers on a flight to spread their father's ashes died on Saturday after their small plane crashed in a pond in Massachusetts.
Scott Landis, 34, was killed in the accident, which took place Friday at Cranland Airport in Hanson, Massachusetts, about a half hour south of Boston, according to the manager of the small airport.
Patrick remains in the hospital at Tufts Medical Center.
Scott Landis was piloting the plane authorities said, while his younger brother, 29-year-old Patrick, was a passenger. The plane crashed into a pond near the runway just after takeoff.
"He was on takeoff and the engine lost power, and he tried to turn and come back and it went in [the pond]," airport manager Peter Oakley told Boston ABC affiliate WCVB.
The two brothers' uncle, Don Conway, confirmed to WCVB the men were spreading their fathers' ashes.
Their father had died just a few weeks ago, Conway said.
"It sounded like they both really cherished and loved their father and looked up to him and wanted to celebrate him in the best way possible," first selectman Matthew Dyer told WCVB.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash.
Scott Landis was a member of the Army National Guard and he was on leave from his base in Kosovo. Scott was a helicopter pilot in the Army.
