By: Laura Soukkavong
WILMINGTON, N.Y. — A 67-year-old woman was killed Friday after being struck by a small aircraft that had landed and was taxiing toward a hangar at a privately owned airfield in Wilmington, according to New York State Police.
Pamela M. Haselton, of Wilmington, had been photographing the aircraft with a camera mounted on a tripod positioned on the runway at Catalano Airfield, police said. As the plane approached, she attempted to move the tripod out of its path.
Investigators said the aircraft’s operator, James J. Catalano, 77, also of Wilmington, did not see Haselton or the camera before the collision.
The aircraft was identified as a 1943 Aeronca L3, a single-engine, two-seat plane. State police said it had landed successfully and was moving toward its hangar when it struck Haselton.
Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures at the scene, but Haselton was pronounced dead, police said.
Troopers responded at approximately 3:47 p.m. Nov. 6 to a report of an aircraft-related critical incident on Hazelton Road at the privately owned airfield.
The New York State Police are investigating the circumstances of the fatal incident in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing. The agency’s announcement did not report any charges or announce a final determination about the cause of the collision.