FBI Investigating if Fatal Plane Crash in East Hartford, CT Was Intentional Act of Terrorism

Hmm why would the FBI think that the plane crash was intention … the pilots name was Feras M. Freitekh.

The NY Times is reporting that the FBI is investigating whether the fatal small plane crash that occurred East Hartford, Connecticut on Tuesday was intentional.  The pilot, Feras M. Freitekh, was a Jordanian national who first entered the US in 2012 on an M1 Visa as a student to fulfill a course of study for flight school. Hmm, doesn’t that sound familiar? The plane crashed near the gates of the Pratt & Whitney factory.

The F.B.I. is investigating whether the crash of a small plane in East Hartford, Conn., that killed a passenger on Tuesday was intentional, according to four federal law enforcement officials.

The pilot, who survived the crash, told investigators that it was not an accident. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

Officials identified the passenger as Feras M. Freitekh, 28. Public records show he had lived in Orland Hills, Ill., about 35 miles southwest of Chicago. Federal Aviation Administration records show he was issued a private pilot certificate on May 29, 2015, and was certified to fly a single-engine plane.

The F.A.A. said the Piper PA 34 crashed around 3:40 p.m. on Main Street as it was on a final approach to Hartford-Brainard Airport in Hartford. Mayor Marcia Leclerc of East Hartford said the plane took off from a flight school at the airport.

The police chief of East Hartford, Scott M. Sansom, said during a news conference that the police sought the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation because the plane went down near a Pratt & Whitney factory on Main Street, which he described as being “critical infrastructure.”

UPDATE I: One Dead, Pilot Hurt In Plane Crash; FBI Investigating Whether It Was Intentional.

Federal and state investigators who were gathering at the scene early Wednesday morning declined to comment.

The State Police Central District Crime Squad is processing the crime scene in East Hartford and detectives from the Fire and Explosion Investigations Unit also have been called into the investigation as have detectives assigned to the counterterrorism unit from the state police.

The New York Times identified the passenger on the plane as Feras M. Freitekh, age 28. Public record show he has lived in Orland Hills, Ill. since April of 2013. He holds a license to fly a single engine plane. Federal Aviation Administration records show he was issued a private pilot certificate on May 29, 2015, according to the Times.

The crash survivor told investigators that it was not an accident, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing, according to the Times.

A student and instructor were aboard the twin-engine aircraft when it took off from Hartford-Brainard Airport in Hartford, East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the airplane was attempting to land at Brainard when the crash occurred near Main and Colt streets about 3:40 p.m.

The Piper PA-34 Seneca struck a utility pole and wires, knocking out power to the area, and was immediately engulfed in flames, witnesses said.