DARTMOUTH, Mass. — A beloved Westport couple was killed Saturday afternoon when their twin-engine aircraft which experienced engine trouble and crashed in a fiery wreck on Route 195. This was just miles from their destination at New Bedford Regional Airport.
State Police identified the victims as Howard Cassady and his wife, Patricia Cassady, both in their 80s. Howard Cassady was a retired commercial airline pilot with decades of flight experience mostly piloting the Beechcraft Baron 55 aircraft.
The crash occurred around 4:00 p.m. in the median of the highway’s westbound lanes near the Faunce Corner Road exit. Witnesses described seeing the plane flying low before it impacted the ground and was immediately engulfed in flames and thick black smoke.
“It was a horrific scene,” said Dartmouth Fire Chief Peter Andrade. “The aircraft was fully involved in fire upon our arrival. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families.”
In a preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that Cassady had radioed air traffic control to declare an emergency shortly before the crash. He reported that the plane’s right engine was “running rough” and that he intended to shut it down and attempt an emergency landing.
The flight originated from Beverly Regional Airport and was on its final approach to New Bedford when the tragedy occurred.
The crash forced a complete shutdown of Route 195 in both directions for over five hours, causing extensive traffic backups as emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze and investigators began their work. In what officials are calling a miracle, no vehicles on the typically busy highway were hit and no injuries were reported on the ground.
The local aviation community expressed shock and sadness over the loss of Cassady, who was known as a meticulous and highly skilled pilot.
The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading the investigation. A final report determining the official cause of the crash is not expected for at least a year.
