Delilah Van Ness dies in fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash
Delilah Van Ness dies in fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash
Fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash claims the life of Delilah Van Ness – Obituary.
Authorities have released the names of four people who tragically lost their lives in a small plane crash on Sunday in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, including a 15-year-old girl, her mother, and her teacher.
The victims were identified as Delilah Van Ness, 15, and Susan Van Ness, 51, both from Middletown, Connecticut; Paul Pelletier, 55, of Columbia, Connecticut; and Frank Rodriguez, 88, of Lebanon, Connecticut.
In a statement, the Middletown Public Schools confirmed Delilah was a sophomore at Middletown High School, and her mother, Susan, and teacher, Paul Pelletier, also perished in the crash. Pelletier was Delilah’s aerospace and manufacturing instructor at the school.
Superintendent Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos expressed the school district’s sorrow, saying, “This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community.
Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals, and their absence is deeply felt.”
Due to the tragic event, Middletown High School was closed on Tuesday, and all athletic events were postponed to allow the community time to mourn.
In a letter to families, Matos described Pelletier as a “dedicated” teacher who had worked at the school since 2019.
Delilah, he said, was a “bright and cherished student,” and Susan was a “valued member of the Middletown community.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by Vermont State Police. According to reports, Delilah was taking flight lessons with Pelletier.
Their plane, a four-seat, single-engine Piper, had taken off from Windham Airport in Connecticut on Sunday morning for a trip to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.
After having brunch nearby, the group left around noon to return to Connecticut.
A witness reported seeing the plane on the runway at 12:15 p.m. with no signs of trouble. However, when the plane failed to arrive back in Connecticut on time, relatives contacted authorities.
Investigators, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, discovered the wreckage in a wooded area east of Basin Harbor Airport early Monday morning. Ferrisburgh is approximately 20 miles south of Burlington, Vermont.
Further details about the cause of the crash are still being examined.
Delilah Van Ness dies in fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash Fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash claims the life of Delilah Van Ness – Obituary. Authorities have released the names of four people who tragically lost their lives in a small plane crash on Sunday in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, including a 15-year-old girl, her mother, and her…
Delilah Van Ness dies in fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash Fatal Ferrisburgh, Vt. plane crash claims the life of Delilah Van Ness – Obituary. Authorities have released the names of four people who tragically lost their lives in a small plane crash on Sunday in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, including a 15-year-old girl, her mother, and her…