September 6, 2005
 

Blooming Grove
Coincidences fed belief plane crashed

 

There was no airplane crash Sunday night.
   Blooming Grove police said that hours of searching Sunday night and again yesterday
afternoon failed to confirm reports that a plane crashed on Schunemunk Mountain.
   Authorities pinpointed a burning vacant cabin as the source of the smoke that first prompted
reports of a downed aircraft, said Blooming Grove police Sgt. Nicholas Solfaro.
   The confusion started Sunday when Stewart International Airport reported getting a distress
signal at the same time Blooming Grove police, on routine patrol, noticed a helicopter near the
mountain and smoke billowing from the woods, Solfaro said.
   The helicopter, police said, was a medical one transporting a patient to Westchester Medical
Center in Valhalla, the smoke was from the burning cabin and the distress signal was a false
alarm.
   A New York State Police helicopter circled the area again yesterday to be doubly sure there
wasn't a downed plane, Solfaro said. There wasn't. Case closed.

 

 
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