Investigation into 2019 plane crash points to medical event

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A medical event, not an equipment malfunction, mostly likely caused a small plane to crash in a cemetery in New Bedford in 2019, a preliminary government investigation has found.

Paul E. Vidal, 74, was piloting the single-engine plane on Nov. 4, 2019, when it entered a near-nose dive, hit a tree and crashed to the ground. Vidal was the only person on the 1977 Cessna 150M.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the crash and released initial documents Wednesday saying it found the “defining event” of the crash was a “medical event,” the Standard-Times reported.

Investigators could not conclude what the medical event might have been but contemplated carbon monoxide poisoning or heart disease, NTSB documents show.

Witnesses told investigators that the plane had started to climb and then pivoted on its left wing in a downward spiral before essentially entering a nose dive.

Debris was scattered as far as 240 feet (73 meters) from the impact site. Investigators found that one muffler had evidence of deterioration.

A New Bedford Regional Airport employee told investigators that Vidal appeared to be “cheerful and happy to be flying” before he took off.