Taunton plane crash victims indentified

Taunton plane crash: The pilot and his passenger died when his 1946 Aeronca Champ crashed in Taunton, Mass. Sunday. Investigators are probing the cause of the plane crash.

 Officials have tentatively identified two men killed in a small plane crash at a municipal airport in southeastern Massachusetts.

The Bristol County District Attorney's office says 69-year-old John Schmouth, of Brockton, and 61-year-old Roland Deslauriers, of Bridgewater, are believed to have been on board when the plane crashed Sunday morning at Taunton Municipal Airport. Schmouth was listed as the pilot.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office says family members have been notified but the identifications won't be confirmed until autopsies are complete.

Authorities say the small plane crashed during takeoff shortly after 6 a.m. An eyewitness said that the plane was attempting to take off when it went down.

Boston.com reports that "Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane was an Aeronca 7AC, a type of small plane introduced in 1945 that has a front propeller and a wide, continuous wing over the fuselage. Holloway said the plane that crashed was built in 1946 but only recently purchased by the owner. He said investigators would inspect maintenance records for the aircraft, examine the wreckage for evidence of mechanical issues, and seek radar data that might show its trajectory.
James Madigan, a commissioner with the Taunton Municipal Airport Commission, said he arrived at the scene around 6:30 a.m., shortly after the crash, and found the Taunton Fire Department extinguishing flames."

The plane was attempting to take off when it went down near Westcoat Drive, the roadway leading to the airport, according to authorities. No one on the ground was injured.

Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane was an Aeronca 7AC, a type of small plane introduced in 1945 that has a front propeller and a wide, continuous wing over the fuselage. Holloway said the plane that crashed was built in 1946cq but only recently purchased by the owner. He said investigators would inspect maintenance records for the aircraft, examine the wreckage for evidence of mechanical issues, and seek radar data that might show its trajectory.

James Madigan, a commissioner with the Taunton Municipal Airport Commission, said he arrived at the scene around 6:30 a.m., shortly after the crash, and found the Taunton Fire Department extinguishing flames.

- See more at: http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/08/25/two-killed-this-morning-taunton-plane-crash/7oNGU0XNdldU3ZNVtoOvXN/story.html#sthash.Hz4fHmhz.dpuf

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating along with state and local officials.

Taunton is about 40 miles south of Boston.

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