By JOHN FLOWERS
CONRNWALL — Two Addison County men were killed on Sept. 20 when the Ultralite aircraft they were piloting crashed in a wooded area in Cornwall.
Calvin Minor, 63, of New Haven and Mark Reese, 51, of Lincoln, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident just north of Morse Road in Cornwall, according to a press release issued by the Vermont State Police (VSP) on Thursday.
Police said Reese was teaching Minor the proper techniques in piloting the two-person Ultralite. The craft was a Klaus Cruise 2, trike-style craft. It is a weight-shift controlled aircraft, with a fabric wing, using a Geo Metro four-cylinder engine.
Police said the craft was purchased in the Ukraine and shipped through Canada.
Reese had hundreds of hours of experience with such Ultralites, according to the VSP.
The Ultralite crashed at around 7 p.m. on Sept. 20, according to police, who had not yet determined the precise cause of the accident as of press-time.
Emergency response officials from Cornwall and Middlebury arrived quickly at the accident scene, which Cornwall Fire Department Chief Dennis Rheaume described as being about 250 yards into a swamp area. Responding officials were able to get within around 30 yards of the crash site, thanks to an old road that leads into the swamp, according to Rheaume. He said it appeared as though the Ultralite struck some trees during its descent.
While officials are as-yet unsure whether the craft experienced engine trouble, a witness described the Ultralite as having “kind of dropped out of the sky,” Rheaume said.
State police and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the accident. The Vermont Agency of Transportation has already conducted an initial review of the incident, according to VSP.