Mansfield, MA – A flight instructor and his student were killed Saturday when their single-engine airplane crashed at Mansfield Municipal Airport.
Sydney Miti, 31, of Waltham, and Julian Lattermann, 18, of Dover, died upon impact shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to Police. The Cessna 172S aircraft had taken off from Norwood Airport around 11:26 a.m. and was conducting a lesson when it experienced a missed approach maneuver before crashing at runway 4.
Emergency responders found the aircraft nose-first in the turf landing area adjacent to Fruit Street. Witnesses reported seeing the plane struggle before the crash, but no one else was on board. Mansfield firefighters deployed foam to mitigate fuel leak hazards during the extraction of the victims.
The scene was cleared by approximately 6 p.m. and subsequently handed over to investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Authorities confirmed an investigation is ongoing, with assistance from Mansfield and Massachusetts State Police.
Horizon Aviation, the aircraft's owner based in Norwood, declined to comment. The FAA will investigate the crash, while the NTSB will determine its probable cause.
Miti and Lattermann's families expressed grief, recalling the instructor's passion for flying. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this tragic time,” the Mansfield Police Department stated.