A small plane crash happened Thursday not far from Buffalo in the Town of Aurora. The pilot of the Beechcraft single engine plane died in the fiery crash. He was the only fatality and no one on the ground was injured.
The crash happened near property owned by Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins.
ESPN quoted Dawkins as saying that the residence is not where he lives, but a property he owns in East Aurora.
East Aurora Police Chief Patrick Welch says the calls started coming in just after 11a.m. on Thursday.
“We did receive a 911 calls,” Welch said. “The caller did report that he observed a small aircraft crash. So our people, our detectives, our officers, are on the ground, working with other agencies assistance and we’re interviewing the neighborhood, the callers, anybody that might have seen something.”
A news release from the East Aurora Police said the 1979 Beechcraft A36 airplane had departed from Lansing, Michigan and was en route to White Plains, New York. At 11:16 a.m., the Buffalo Niagara International Airport sent out an alert for a plane having mechanical issues and designated a runway for the plane to land.
Police said the plane crashed in a small wooded area between two residences and was fully engulfed in flames.
Dawkins later gave an emotional statement to the news media, according to the Buffalo News.
"The biggest point about it: I just hope the pilot's family is OK, and I hope they're doing all right," he said.
According to the Buffalo News, Dawkins said he was at the Bills' facility when the crash occurred and that his family was safe.
The investigation continues into the cause of the crash by East Aurora Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, along with other agencies.
This story includes reporting by ESPN and the Buffalo News.
