Indian American banker dies in US plane crash (Third Lead)
December 21st, 2011 - 12:37 pm ICT by IANSWashington, Dec 21 (IANS) An Indian American investment banker was among five people, including two children, killed when a small plane crashed into the middle of one of New Jersey’s busiest highways.
Rakesh Chawla, 36 and Jeffrey Buckalew, 45, heads of Greenhill & Co., a New York City investment firm, died when the aircraft spiralled out of control and crashed in the town of Harding, New Jersey, according to NJ.com.
Besides Buckalew, a licensed pilot and the plane’s owner, his wife, Corinne, and their two young children, Jackson and Meriwether, were also on board the plane that was seen losing a wing before it crashed.
“Jeff was one of the first employees of Greenhill,” said a company statement. “He and Rakesh were extraordinary professionals who were highly respected by colleagues and clients alike.”
A garbled transmission preceded the sudden and devastating plunge, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A wing from the plane was found in the tree of a home about a quarter-mile from the point of impact, and witnesses said the craft appeared to fall apart in mid-flight. Wreckage was scattered across a half-mile stretch.
The plane, headed for DeKalb Peachtree Airport near Atlanta, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from nearby Teterboro Airport, said FAA spokesman Jim Peters.
Recovery efforts for the plane crash have been suspended for the night, National Transportation Safety Board senior air safety investigator Robert Gretz told a press conference Tuesday night.
Operations will resume around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, after the morning rush hour, Gretz said.
Tuesday’s crash comes about two weeks after a honeymooning couple from India were killed in the crash of a sightseeing helicopter in rugged terrain about 12 miles east of Las Vegas.
Lovish Bhanot, 28, managing director of Lyca Investment Ltd., a family-run real estate company in Gurgaon, and 26-year-old Anupama Bhola, a flight attendant, were married Nov 6 in Gurgaon.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
- Indian-American banker killed in New Jersey plane crash (Second Lead) - Dec 21, 2011
- Indian-origin man among five dead in US plane crash (Lead) - Dec 21, 2011
- Indian-American doctor couple killed in Ohio plane crash - Jun 20, 2011
- Honeymoon couple to be cremated in Las Vegas - Dec 13, 2011
- Five killed as small plane crashes in US - Dec 21, 2011
- Three killed in US plane crash - Jul 25, 2011
- Small plane crashes after take-off in South Dakota, killing 4 - Dec 10, 2011
- Nine believed killed in New York mid-air collision - Aug 09, 2009
- Two killed in US small plane crash - Feb 16, 2010
- FAA: Small plane crashes New Jersey airport, at least two dead (Update) - Feb 16, 2010
- Major New York City-area airports to reopen on Monday - Aug 29, 2011
- Small plane carrying five people crashes in Lake Michigan - Jul 24, 2010
- One dead after small plane crashes in Jefferson County, Indiana - Apr 20, 2010
- World War II Fighter Plane Recovered From Lake Michigan - Nov 09, 2010
- Small plane crash near Lebanon, Kentucky airport kills one - Feb 24, 2010
Tags: american banker, american investment, anupama, bhanot, dekalb peachtree airport, faa spokesman, federal aviation administration, gretz, harding new jersey, honeymooning, lyca, mid flight, morning rush hour, national transportation safety, national transportation safety board, night operations, plane crash, teterboro airport, town of harding, transportation safety board