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Erin Prawoko
A helicopter, provided by JBI helicopter Services out of New Hampshire, recovers the wreckage of the single-engine plane that crashed in a wooded area of Canton.
Officials recount plane crash recovery
By Kate Sullivan Foley
Thu Jun 07, 2007, 10:00 AM EDT
Canton -The plane that crashed in Canton last Monday morning, killing its 57-year-old female pilot, was taken apart and removed from the scene by the NTSB the following day.
The 1979 era Mooney M20J Single Wing Aircraft was dismantled into five pieces in order to be removed, according to officials. Each piece was attached to cables and removed from the scene by helicopter.
It was not clear where the plane was brought, but Canton Police Lt. Helena Findlen said it was removed to a location where the NTSB could properly examine it.
The plane crashed in a very swampy area off Neponset Street around 10:15 a.m. Monday. The pilot, Agnes Elizabeth Imregh, 57, of Dover, Massachusetts was killed instantly on impact, officials said.
Initially, crews from the Canton Fire Department responded to the scene by vehicle.
“It was a challenging trek to get out to the crash site,” said Canton Fire Lt. John Hutchinson.
Firefighters and other rescue personnel drove as close to the scene as possible and then continued on by foot to reach the plane. Once the aircraft was located, Hutchinson said, officials determined it wasn’t too far from the Neponset River.
“We put our boats in the water and shuttled equipment and personnel to and from the crash site,” said Hutchinson.
The department has two inflatable boats which were both used on Monday. On Tuesday, one boat and two firefighters were at the scene assisting the NTSB with the removal of the plane.
Officials, according to Findlen, decided to take the plane by helicopter rather than by boat for several reasons.
“This way we do not have to worry about hazardous materials (from the plane) getting into the river,” said Findlen.
Removal by helicopter, she said, was determined to be easier and safer both environmentally and for personnel.
Hutchinson credited both Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz and Canton Fire Deputy Chief Charles Doody with setting up a unified command post and coordinating all the different agencies in the rescue and recovery effort.
