EAST HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Ex-Microsoft executive Bill Henningsgaard and his son died Friday in a plane crash in Connecticut, where two children on the ground also died, officials said.
Henningsgaard's plane crashed into two East Haven, Conn., homes Friday morning as it approached an airport, and authorities said they believe two children ages 1 and 13 were killed in one of the homes, while their mother survived, The (Astoria, Ore.) Daily Astorian reported.
Henningsgaard was the son of former Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgaard-Miller and brother of City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.
The father and son were in New England visiting colleges in the area when they crashed while attempting to land at Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, the newspaper said.
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Henningsgaard was the acting executive director and board chair of Eastside Pathways and a former sales and marketing executive at Microsoft.
NBC News said he made an unsuccessful first attempt at landing, then crashed on his second attempt.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported the plane, a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, a multi-engine turbo propeller-driven aircraft, crashed as it approached the airport at 11:25 a.m. The plane is owned by Ellumax Leasing LLC of Washington, D.C., and its flight originated from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
The number of people aboard the plane was not disclosed.
An airport official said the plane was in communication with the airport, and no distress call was made.
The plane struck two homes, one of which was vacant, East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo said.
A neighbor, Tara Gallo, told WVIT-TV, West Hartford she heard an explosion and saw flames when she looked out her window.
Frank Diglio, 55, said he was driving by and pulled over when he observed people screaming and crying, and said a woman was crying that her children were in a television room in one of the homes. He added he and another unidentified man attempted searching for the children but left after the fire became too intense.
"The plane was burning slow, and then it really started burning. The fire engines arrived in 10 minutes. They (firefighters) came real quick and they told us all to move," Diglio said.
The plane could be seen between the two burning houses, the Courant said.
"We haven't recovered anybody at this point," said Fire Chief Douglas Jackson. "We presume a bad outcome."
