Executive Summary
- A new NTSB report details the final communications of the pilot in the fatal October 13 crash in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
- Pilot Thomas Perkins, 68, told air traffic control he “should be OK” to return to New Bedford Regional Airport.
- Perkins and his wife, Agatha Perkins, 66, were en route to Wisconsin when the crash occurred on Interstate 195.
According to a new report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the pilot involved in a fatal plane crash on Interstate 195 on October 13 communicated to air traffic control that he was attempting to return to New Bedford Regional Airport just moments before the incident.
The pilot was identified as Thomas Perkins, 68, and his passenger was his wife, Agatha Perkins, 66. Their flight departed from New Bedford Regional Airport at 8:05 a.m., bound for Kenosha Regional Airport in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The report states that shortly before the crash, Perkins told air traffic controllers he “should be OK” to attempt a landing back at the airport he had just left. The report does not specify what issues prompted the pilot to attempt a return.
Ongoing Investigation
The information provides a partial timeline of the flight’s final moments. The NTSB’s investigation to determine the definitive cause of the crash remains ongoing, with a final report expected at a later date.