School Board VP, 2 Children Dead in Rural Massachusetts Plane Crash: Report
Three people were killed in a small plane crash on Sunday in western Massachusetts, federal and local authorities said. The twin-engine four-seater, a Beechcraft Baron 55, went down in a wooded area near Greenfield, according to a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board. School officials in Paradise, Texas, later identified the victims as Dr. Heath Smith, a surgeon and local school board member, and his two children, according to CBS News and the Messenger. “Our hearts are devastated for the Smith family,” Will Brewer, the superintendent of Paradise ISD, told CBS. “Words cannot fully express the grief that we feel for their loss. The tragedy that this family has endured is unimaginable. Dr. Smith was a vital part of our school district as an alumnus, parent, and board member.” An investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive at the crash site by Monday.
#HAPPENNING NOW: Tragic news out of Wise and Parker Counties. A member of the Paradise ISD school board along with two of his children died today in a plane crash near Poolville. Dr. Heath Smith was the board's vice president. No word what caused the crash. The @NTSB is… pic.twitter.com/fqtQq4avYf
— Giles Hudson (@CBS11Giles) January 15, 2024
