By Jerald Jimenez
Jul 24, 2023, 18:46 PM EDT
A pilot of a small plane that crashed near a runway in Martha’s VIneyard, Massachusetts, on July 15, died Thursday while being hospitalized, authorities said.
The victim, Randolph Bonnist, 79, of Norwalk, Connecticut, died at Boston Medical Center, according to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, Robert Galibois, in a statement.
Bonnist was reportedly piloting a 2006 Piper Meridian, and was making his final approach to Martha’s Vineyard Airport in West Tisbury, when he suffered a medical emergency.
At that moment, Robin Bonnist, his wife of 68 years, took the controls and tried to land the plane, resulting in a crash landing in a grassy area near the runway, Fox News reported.
The crash landing caused the plane’s left wing to break in half, before it crashed on the runway, Massachusetts State Police said.
Although Robin was not injured in the accident, she and her husband were taken to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital following the accident. However, Randolph had to be airlifted to Bostin Medical, finding himself in serious, life-threatening condition.
The couple took off from the Westchester County Airport, in White Plains, New York, that same day.
Meanwhile, the District Attorney’s Office said representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the crash, saying no wrongdoing is suspected.
More updates related to the case are expected to follow.
With information from Fox News