Plane crash victims are identified

NBC 10 News
Published: November 17, 2008

SMITHFIELD, R.I.—Two people were killed Monday when a small plane crashed a half-mile southeast of the runway at North Central State Airport in Smithfield.

The victims were identified as 43-year-old Robert A. Zoglio of Richmond and 64-year-old Ronald Tetreault of Glocester.

Zoglio’s wife told NBC 10 that he was the owner of the plane and that he worked for the Richmond Conservation Commission. She said flying was his passion and that he had been flying for about 10 years.

The crash was reported just after 5 p.m.

The Piper PA-32 aircraft left T.F. Green Airport in Warwick and was headed north to the smaller facility in Smithfield. The single-engine plane clipped some trees before crashing into the woods.

“We’re going to look at the engine, and look at the entire airplane itself to decide if the trees were the problem or if there was a problem before it came in,“ said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Shawn Etcher.

Neighbors reported hearing a loud sound, then seeing a ball of flames light up the night sky.

The crash happened right behind the home of Smithfield resident George Dionisopolous.

“My youngest guy, he’s a lot quicker than I am, he and my neighbor ran out with a fire extinguisher to try to put the fire out. But it was just too much,“ he said.

No one on the ground was hurt.

Federal investigators said they plan on coming back to the scene of the crash on Wednesday.

A full investigation will take six months to a year to complete.