A funeral for Kent I. Feuerring of Sagaponack, a pilot who died when his small plane crashed at the edge of Three Mile Harbor last Thursday, will be held on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Old Whalers Church in Sag Harbor.
His family will receive visitors on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton.
Mr. Feuerring, 57, was the president of the East Hampton Aviation Association, a pilots advocacy group, and had also served on the East Hampton Town Airport Management Advisory Committee.
"Anybody who was active at the airport eventually got to know Kent," said Peter Boody, a fellow pilot and sometime flight instructor. "He was gregarious and outgoing, and he knew everybody. It was almost dizzying the intensity with which he dove into things. He was absolutely passionate about flying."
Mr. Feuerring was flying a Seamax M-22 light sport-class aircraft registered to an East Hampton limited liability company last Thursday. According to automated data from FlightAware.com, he had taken off from East Hampton Town Airport at 12:19 p.m. He flew southeast to the ocean, then headed along the coast to about Two Mile Hollow Beach in East Hampton Village before heading north-northwest toward Three Mile Harbor.
At about 12:30 p.m. as he flew over the southernmost reaches of Three Mile Harbor, a witness reported, the left wing came off the plane and spiraled toward the ground. The plane followed and "exploded upon hitting the water," said John Reid, a nearby resident who saw the accident and called 911. Mr. Feuerring's plane came to rest partly in the water and partly onshore. It's left wing was found high in a nearby tree.
He was the only occupant of the two-seater.
"He was an excellent pilot. . . . He was very meticulous," said Jonathan Glynn of Sag Harbor, a friend and former pilot who had flown with Mr. Feuerring many times over the years, including in the Seamax that crashed last Thursday.
The plane was "unusual for a seaplane" in that it "didn’t have any pontoons," he said. Because its propeller was above and behind the cockpit, offering wider views, flying in the Seamax felt almost like being in a helicopter, Mr. Glynn said.
Mr. Feuerring enjoyed sharing his love of flying with friends, advocated for his fellow pilots and for airport interests, and helped foster an appreciation for aeronautics in the community through the East Hampton Aviation Association's annual Just Plane Fun Day, a September showcase for planes of various makes and vintages.
"He was very charitable," said Mr. Glynn, the founder of the nonprofit Wings Over Haiti, which held an annual benefit at the airport. "We counted on Kent to make our annual benefits a success and he always came through."
"He was like everyone's cheerleader," said Tanya Malott, a friend whose son, Alex, went through the Ross School with Mr. Feuerring's son, Jonas, 23. She described Mr. Feuerring as "positive, enthusiastic, welcoming. . . . He was always happy. He always showed up at a party with the biggest smile."
An obituary will appear in a future issue of The Star.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident along with East Hampton Town police, who have asked anyone who witnessed the crash or has information related to it to call detectives at 631-537-7575.
With Reporting by Christopher Gangemi and David E. Rattray