The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary report on the crash of a Cessna airplane near Walton, Delaware County on November 9th. The pilot, Daniel Drew, was fatally injured in the crash. Drew was a very experienced pilot. He was flying alone from Niagara Falls to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. At about 2:59PM, the pilot radioed the Binghamton Airport approach control and said he needed to get to the ground immediately. He was instructed to change course to Sydney Airport, which was the nearest. There was no other intelligible transmission from the aircraft. Two minutes later a witness reported smoke trailing the airplane and a red/orange glow under the right engine. The plane hit two trees on a ridgeline shortly afterward. The final report is still to be issued, and a probable cause should be determined at that time.
