Lake Placid volunteer firefighters work on retrieving a plane that crashed, killing two, at the Lake Placid Airport on Sunday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

LAKE PLACID — Federal authorities have released more details of their investigations into a fatal plane crash at the Lake Placid Airport on Sunday, including that the crash happened shortly after takeoff after “a hard roll to the left.” But the exact cause of the crash is still unknown, as the investigations are in preliminary stages.

The two people killed in the crash have been identified as Russ Francis, a former NFL tight end who recently purchased the Lake Placid Airways scenic tour business at the airport, and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Senior Vice President Richard McSpadden — both seasoned pilots.

Their tragic deaths struck hard in the sports and general aviation worlds, and with their many friends and family members. On Sunday evening and all through Monday, people from around the world were seen on social media mourning and honoring the icons of the field and the air.

The crash happened around 4:05 p.m. at the end of a runway, close to the North Elba Athletic Fields.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and the Federal Aviation Administration issued a brief incident report on Monday.

“Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances short of the runway,” according to the report.

According to the AOPA, the plane “experienced an emergency after takeoff.”

McSpadden was in the right seat — the passenger seat — according to the AOPA.

“The airplane attempted to return to the airport but failed to make the runway,” the statement reads. “Both occupants lost their lives.”

Essex County Coroner Jay Heald said autopsies were being conducted Monday morning but deferred to New York State Police Troop B spokespersons for further comment.

The plane’s “N-Number” registration was released by the FAA on Monday. This identified that the plane they were in was a a fixed wing single-engine Cessna 177 Cardinal owned by Lake Placid Flying Service Inc. It had a valid certificate of inspection issued in 1990 which lasted through 2029.

NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway said an NTSB investigator was expected arrive on scene Monday. This investigator will document the scene; examine the aircraft; try to contact any witnesses; and request air traffic communications, radar data, weather reports, maintenance records of the aircraft, and medical records and flight history of the pilot.

It is very early in the investigation, but based on preliminary information, Holloway said around 4:05 p.m., the Cessna impacted terrain under “unknown circumstances” after a “hard roll to the left shortly after takeoff” from KLKP airport.

“It is important to note that NTSB does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process,” Holloway wrote. “This is considered the fact gathering phase of the investigation.”

He said a preliminary report may be available in about 10 to 12 business days and a typical NTSB investigation can take 12 to 24 months to complete and determine cause.

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Eyewitnesses ran to scene to help

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Ryan Branchaud was sitting on the front porch of his home in the Cascade Acres neighborhood across Recycle Circle Lane from the end of the runway when the crash happened.

He said he saw the plane take off toward Cascade Acres. He’s not sure the exact altitude, but at maybe 200 feet, he saw the plane take a sharp right — appearing to attempt to land back on the runway — crash into the top of the embankment at the end of the tarmac, and slide down the hill.

Branchaud was in shock. He doesn’t know why, but he immediately jumped in his car and drove over to the crash site, along with a neighbor, Kevin Reynolds, and Lake Placid School 5th grade science teacher Jon Fremante.

“We tried opening the door, but the wing was bent down so much that we couldn’t pry the door open,” Branchaud said. “Fuel was pouring onto the backs of their heads.”

Fremante used a rag and then a curved piece of the windshield to divert the fuel while Branchaud tapped on the shattered glass to try to keep the Francis and McSpadden conscious. They did this until the emergency service professionals arrived at the top of the embankment and threw ropes down for them to climb out.

Branchaud’s daughter Autumn was worried the fuel would catch fire. The engine was smoking, but he wasn’t thinking about that. Though he remembers taking the fire extinguisher out of the plane and setting it next to him just in case.

“It was just an instinct that kicked in to go try and help,” Branchaud said. “I had to be there. I don’t know what made me be there. … I don’t know what came over me to hurry up and get over there.”

After the emergency crews arrived, Branchaud stayed out of the way, gave a statement to police and went back to his porch.

“I watched the pilot take his last breath yesterday,” Branchaud said.

McSpadden, the passenger, was taking deep breaths, trying to stay alive, when emergency workers arrived.

It wasn’t clear to Branchaud what caused the crash. He didn’t hear anything abnormal with the engine, he said. He’s heard airplanes backfire while taking off, but nothing like that happened on Sunday.

Dozens of emergency personnel were at the scene on Sunday. The plane was sideways, down near the bottom of an embankment at the end of the runway, visible from Recycle Circle Road.

Several gliders were still in the air above the airfield after the crash, and they were directed to land elsewhere at the airport.

Lake Placid emergency services, New York State Police, Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad and state Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers responded.

New York State Police Troop B spokeswoman Brandi Ashley said in a statement that the aircraft “crashed at the northeast corner of the airport striking an earth embankment.” She identified Francis and McSpadden, providing McSpadden’s age, 63, and hometown — Frederick, Maryland.

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KLKP

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There have been at least 17 airplane crashes in Lake Placid since 1962, the most recent in 2014, according to National Transportation Safety Board records and past articles in the Enterprise.

Lake Placid Airways, formerly known as the Adirondack Flying Service, operates a flight service at the Lake Placid Airport. It was transferred to new ownership this year after nearly 50 years under Steve Short, who took over the airport after his father, the previous owner, suffered an aneurysm in 1974. Al Furnia started the Adirondack Flying Service; Steve Short’s father took over from Furnia after Furnia got cancer.

Francis was the new owner of Lake Placid Airways alongside Rives Potts, 74. Francis was a first-round NFL draft pick with a 1985 Super Bowl ring and three selections to the Pro Bowl. As of August, Short was still employed by Lake Placid Airways as the chief pilot and director of operations.

Enterprise Managing Editor Elizabeth Izzo contributed reporting.

To read more about Francis’ life go to https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2023/10/living-to-fly/

To read more about McSpadden’s life go to https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2023/10/aviation-community-mourns-pilot-who-spent-life-educating-aviators-on-safety/