Plane crashes near Danbury street

A small plane crashed Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, near South Street in Danbury. A small plane crashed Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, near South Street in Danbury. Photo: John Pirro Photo: John Pirro Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Plane crashes near Danbury street 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

DANBURY -- A small plane headed for Danbury Municipal Airport from Groton came up short on Tuesday night, crashing around 7:30 near South Street. The plane was equipped with a parachute, which deployed, was caught on trees, and was in danger of become entangled in power lines.

All three people aboard survived, officials said, and their injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

South Street was closed to traffic in both directions and power to the area was cut around 8:30 p.m. because of the danger posed by the parachute near power lines.

The plane's occupants, all males, got out of the aircraft under their own power and were treated in an ambulance at the scene. Their names were not immediately available.

Jose Martinez said he was driving on South Street toward Danbury when he heard a sound "like crunching snow" and looked up to see the plane descending toward him.

"I kept driving, I thought it was going to hit me," he said.

After parking his car, Martinez said, he got out and walked back in time to see the last occupant get out of the plane.

The white, single-engine Cirrus SR20 came to rest, nose down, on the edge of a wooded area near the intersection of South Street and Wixted Avenue, its orange-and-white, bull's-eye-patterned parachute billowing in the wind above in the trees.

A crowd quickly gathered but was kept away from the scene by police.

Airport Administrator Paul Estefan said the half-million dollar aircraft was flying to Danbury when the pilot deployed the chute for unknown mechanical reasons.

Federal Aviation Administration records indicate the plane is owned by Kenyon Flight of West Hartford. It took off from Groton at 6:51 p.m. and was expected to land in Danbury at 7:23 p.m.

Assistant Airport Administrator Mike Safranek said the small Cirrus aircraft is one of the few that comes with a parachute, which apparently cushioned the plane's fall.

The pilot reported problems when the plane was about five miles from the airport, and deployed the chute two miles out, Safranek said.

The pilot, whose name has not yet been released, is a licensed flight instructor who was giving lessons to a student, and the third person aboard was a friend of the student, Safranek said.

Julio Carrasquillo, who lives nearby on South Street, said he was home when he heard what he first thought was a car crash, until neighbors began knocking on his door, saying the plane had gone down.

"You don't think of (stuff) like this happening," he said.

Noe Flores said he was in his apartment when he heard a sound "like a plow" and asked his children if it had started snowing.

"They said, `No, there's a parachute coming down,' " he said.

Flores said firefighters and police were on the scene within minutes.

FAA officials were en route to investigate the crash, Estefan said.

jpirro@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342