4 dead, including students and teachers, in plane crash

According to police, four people were killed when a small plane crashed in Vermont on Sunday.

Vermont State Police identified the deceased as Paul Pelletier, 55, Frank Rodriguez, 88, Susan Van Ness, 51, and Delilah Van Ness, 15.

Pelletier was an aerospace and manufacturing teacher at Middletown Public Schools in Connecticut, the school said in a statement. Delilah Van Ness, a sophomore, was one of his students and Susan Van Ness was her mother.

“This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community,” said County Supervisor Alberto Vázquez Matos. “Paul, Delilah and Susan were special people whose absence is already felt throughout our county and city.”

Authorities did not provide any information about Rodriguez's connection to the other people involved in the crash.

According to ABC affiliate station WTNH in Connecticut, Delilah Van Ness had taken flying lessons from Pelletier.

Police said the four departed Windham Airport in Connecticut on Sunday morning in a private four-seat plane and flew about two hours to Basin Harbor Airport in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. When they reached their destination, the occupants ate brunch and left the restaurant shortly after noon to fly back to Connecticut.

A witness said he saw the plane on the runway around 12:15 p.m. local time, state police said.

State police said they had not received any reports of a plane crash or a plane in distress, but after the plane failed to return to Connecticut, relatives contacted police.

Shortly after midnight on Monday, investigators found the crashed plane in a wooded area east of the airport in Vermont.

All four occupants were found dead.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

Middletown High School will remain closed Tuesday. Crisis teams are available for members of the school community who need counseling or other support, the school said.

“As the community mourns, Middletown Public Schools calls for unity and support for one another,” the school said in a statement. “The district wishes to honor the memories of Paul, Delilah and Susan by upholding their legacy of compassion, dedication and kindness.”