A pilot died following a single-engine plane crash during takeoff at Saratoga County Airport in Milton, New York, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, according to aviation and law enforcement officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the aircraft involved was a Piper PA-25 operating under Part 91 during a personal activity.
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The incident occurred around 1:45 p. m.
when the aircraft was towing a glider on the airport property.
According to the FAA, the glider pitched up, causing the accident airplane to nose over and impact the runway.
Fuel from the plane caused the aircraft to catch fire and suffer substantial damage, prompting officials to close the airport initially.
State Police spokeswoman Trooper Stephanie O’Neil stated on Wednesday that the pilot was the sole occupant of the plane.
First responders treated the seriously injured pilot at the scene before transport, but the pilot later succumbed to the injuries.
The emergency response to the airfield also led to a secondary motor vehicle collision at 1:55 p.
m. at the intersection of Geyser Road and Greenfield Avenue, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies reported that a northbound 2024 Ford F-150 emergency service vehicle collided with an eastbound 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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Both drivers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to local hospitals, causing a temporary closure of Geyser Road.
Community Emergency Corps Deputy Chief Jason Gresen described the scene at the airfield during the initial response.
"Initially when we got there, there was a plane that was fully engulfed in fire.
And as we responded in, we located our patient and began treatment on that patient," said Jason Gresen, Community Emergency Corps Deputy Chief.
Gresen noted that emergency crews had to alter their medical transportation plans due to time constraints.
"We ascertained that the air medical use was not going to be one, that it was time, work for that time constraint.
So at that point there, we decided to transport the patient to the closest appropriate facility," Gresen said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation alongside the Sheriff’s Collision Reconstruction Unit, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days.
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This incident marks the second fatal flight originating from the airport in less than a year, following a fatal crash on Halloween.
