Calling it “an intentional act,” the NTSB has ceded investigation of Tuesday's crash of a 1972 Piper Seneca, N15294, near Pratt & Whitney's jet engine plant in East Hartford, Conn. to the FBI. The Jordanian national student pilot who is believed to have been at the controls was killed and his instructor was badly burned but is expected to recover and is talking to law enforcement.
The instructional flight was on approach to Runway 20 at Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD) when it suddenly plunged onto Main Street and caught fire near the entrance to the Pratt & Whitney plant. Two people in a minivan close to the crash site were also hospitalized. Instructor Arian Prevalla, 43, the owner of American Flight Academy in Hartford, reportedly has told authorities that his student, Feras M. Freitekh, 28, was at the controls and that the crash “was no accident.” Freitekh received his private pilot certificate last year and was continuing his pilot training in the U.S. on an M-1 student visa. He recently resided in Orland Hills, Illinois.
Pratt & Whitney issued a statement after the crash that indicated its personnel were not involved in the accident and that its operations were not affected.