Cherished doctor, pilot and family member, Richard Rockefeller was pronounced dead after the plane he was piloting crashed a few miles from the Westchester County airport. Rockefeller, 64, was returning home after he celebrated his father’s 99th birthday Thursday.
According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Rockefeller was piloting a single-engine Piper PA-46-500TP meridian plane and departed around 8 a.m. in the morning. Just a few miles later his plane crashed around Purchase, New York, an airport spokesperson noted.
Rockefeller’s flight was expected to land in Portland, Maine. He had flown from the Portland airport to Westchester on Thursday without any problems, the Flight Aware flight tracking service noted, according to USA Today .
Rockefeller is noted for his philanthropy and was a trustee for the Rockefeller Brother’s fund, which was formed by the sons of John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1940. Rockefeller was also a physician and served as a chairman for the U.S. advisory board of Doctors without Borders. He also is noted for his commitment to veterans with post traumatic press disorder. He left behind a wife two children, who are adults.
The Federal Aviation Administration and The National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the plan crash.