A father and son escaped serious injury when the airplane they were flying crashed into the woods in Franklin on Saturday.
Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond said in a media release Monday that on the evening of Aug. 26, Delaware County 911 took a call from the Boston Air Traffic Control Center advising that they received a mayday transmission from a pilot indicating his aircraft was experiencing engine failure issues.
At the same time, Delaware County 911 received a call reporting that a small aircraft had crashed near a residence in the town of Franklin. The crash occurred across the road from 2047 Russell Road, in the woods, Beverly Soldan, a nearby resident said. “I thought it was a car accident,” she said. “Then my son-in-law said it was a World War II fighter plane.”
DuMond said he was told it was a vintage Russian military plane.
Delaware County Emergency Services Director Steve Hood said the crash occurred on the border between the Walton and Franklin fire districts and both departments responded to the call.
In addition to the fire departments and sheriff’s deputies, members of the Walton and Franklin EMS, Delaware County Emergency Services and Delaware County Fire Coordinators responded, the release said.
Upon arrival, deputies found that both the pilot, Ron Galuppo, 72, and co-pilot, Nathan Galuppo, 22, were able to get themselves out of the plane, the release said. The father and son were both then transported to a roadway by the 911 caller and ultimately transported to Delaware Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and further evaluation.
The father and son had taken off in Maine and were headed to their home in Texas, the release said.
The Federal Aviation Administration assisted with the investigation. DuMond said the FAA would be in charge of removing the plane from the crash site.
___
(c) 2023 The Daily Star
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
