Small Airplane Crashes on Shoreline of Wickham Lake

A small airplane crashed on Wed., Apr. 28 shortly after taking off from the Warwick Municipal Airport, located at 41 Airport Rd. in Warwick.

The airplane went down around 12:30 p.m. about two miles from the runway and landed on the shoreline of Wickham Lake, near a parking lot at Woodland Way.

The pilot Andrew Bender, 55, of Greenwood Lake, was the only person onboard the aircraft. Warwick’s EMS, Police and Fire Departments were on the scene securing the area and providing aid to the pilot.

Bender was transported for an evaluation to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown, NY. He has since been released from the hospital.

The crash is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Days after a small airplane crashed on the shoreline of Wickham Lake, the airplane’s wing is still stuck in this tree. Photo by Jennifer O’Connor

A small airplane crashed on Wed., Apr. 28 shortly after taking off from the Warwick Municipal Airport. Photo courtesy of the Warwick Fire Department