Update: Two Dead, Two Missing After Plane Crash Off Amagansett
Update, 11:50 p.m.: Late Saturday evening, East Hampton Town police released the names of the people aboard the small plane that crashed off Amagansett Saturday afternoon.
Bernard (Ben) Krupinski, an East Hampton custom home builder, his wife, Bonnie Bistrian Krupinski, and their grandson, William Maerov, 22, were passengers aboard the twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo, police said. Jon Dollard, 47, of Hampton Bays was identified as the pilot.
Mr. and Ms. Krupinski, both 70, were the owners of three East Hampton restaurants — the 1770 House, Cittanuova, and East Hampton Point — and, along with her family, of the East Hampton Golf Club. They were also well-known community supporters and philanthropists.
Two of the bodies were recovered, while the other two are still missing. Town Police Capt. Chris Anderson said in a statement that police were withholding information on whose bodies had been found until confirmation from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office.
The plane, owned by Mr. Krupinski, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean at 2:54 p.m. With four people aboard, the plane lost communication with the East Hampton Airport control tower and then failed to land at the airport.
Private fishing vessels, the United States Coast Guard, and East Hampton Town Marine Patrol units joined in a search and located a debris field about 1.5 miles south of Amagansett's Indian Wells Beach a short time later, police said.
Captain Anderson said the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash. "Extreme weather was reported in the East Hampton area at the time of the crash," he said in the statement.
Town police and the Coast Guard have temporarily suspended the search for the aircraft and the missing bodies until daybreak, police said late Saturday night.
Update, 9:30 p.m.: The search for two missing people from a plane crash off the Amagansett shoreline Saturday afternoon will continue into the night, weather permitting, a United States Coast Guard spokesman said Saturday evening.
There were four people onboard a Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft that lost communication with East Hampton Airport around 2:50 p.m. Debris was found about a mile off Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett, and two bodies were recovered earlier in the evening.
Despite published reports, police and Coast Guard officials have not released the names of any of the victims.
"Most of the units have stopped their search at sunset, including four divers from the East Hampton Town Police Department," Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons said Saturday evening. Two Coast Guard cutters will continue to search throughout the night, depending on the weather.
There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight, and a small-craft advisory may go into effect, he said.
The Coast Guard is planning to send an HC-144 aircraft from Coast Guard Station Cape Cod "to conduct a first-light search," as long as the weather cooperates Sunday morning, Officer Iannazzo-Simmons said.
East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said that while the Coast Guard continues the search with its larger vessels throughout the night, a "full-scale operation will resume at daybreak."
Update, 5:10 p.m.: East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said that a small plane lost contact with East Hampton Airport about one mile south of the airport Saturday afternoon.
Private boats located a debris field off Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett soon after.
The United States Coast Guard identified the plane as a Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft traveling with four people on board. Their names were not released.
The Coast Guard reported that one person was recovered from the plane and a search was on for three missing people.
Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound received a call at approximately 2:50 p.m. reporting that a small plane had crashed about a mile off Indian Wells Beach.
Sector Long Island Sound issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast notice to mariners, requesting boats in the area to keep a sharp lookout for the crashed plane and any survivors.
A rescue and recovery effort is underway with police, the Coast Guard, and the Air National Guard participating, the police chief said.
The Coast Guard responded with Coast Guard cutters and a Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod.
Coast Guard rescue crews are on scene conducting searches for survivors along with local agencies, fishing vessels, and shore units.
Anyone with information has been encouraged to contact the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center at 203-468-4401 or on the radio at VHF-FM marine radio channel 16.
Originally, 3:56 p.m.: A plane crashed into the water off Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett Saturday afternoon.
East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo would confirm only that a plane had crashed and that police had set up a command post at Indian Wells Beach.
East Hampton Airport reportedly lost communication with a small aircraft around 3 p.m. A debris field was found in the ocean off of Indian Wells Beach.
The United States Coast Guard, the East Hampton Town police dive team, and the East Hampton Ocean Rescue Squad all were responding.
This article will be updated with more information as it is available.