Two men died after her plane (Beechcraft Bonanza A36, ed.) crashed en route to a funeral in New York. The message sent to friends before his death read: “The engine is broken”. Boruch Taub and Binyamin ‘Ben’ Chafetz, both of Cleveland, were killed Thursday night when their single-engine plane encountered technical problems and crashed in Westchester County at about 5:25 p.m. Taub, owner of MasterWorks Automotive & Transmission, had been the pilot of the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 while Chafetz, who worked as a technology entrepreneur, was its only passenger.
In her last moments, Chafetz appears to have sent a text message to a WhatsApp group of friends: the text was addressed to relatives and to the religious community, asking them to pray for him.
FURTHER INFORMATION
#Development: The FAA says search and rescue efforts are underway after a single-engine plane crashed in Westchester County. https://t.co/d5pet7kZG8
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) January 20, 2023
“Love you and the kids,” she said in the text message posted to Twitter. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. Hey Rehillim. We lost the engines. Call and ask the congregation to pray (Tehillim)». Tehillim is the Hebrew term for the Book of Psalms (ed.).
What happened
The flight departed from the airport jfk en route to a small regional airport outside of Cleveland, Ohio.
Air traffic control at Westchester County Airport lost contact with the pilot around 5:30 p.m. after the pilot reported engine problems. The Federal Aviation Administration told theyeshivaworld.com that they were about a mile from the airport at the time. Taub reportedly then called to report low oil pressure and an emergency was called minutes later.
A few minutes later a “May Day” to air traffic control, after that no further contact.
First responders set up mobile command posts throughout the area, including outside the airport and at several locations on nearby streets. Crews hiked to nearby wooded areas, and 12 dive teams and boats were also dispatched to search nearby waters, according to the News.
Rain, thunder and lightning are said to have restricted the search from the air and made visibility very difficult. The area also extends beyond Kensico Reservoir and Rye Lake. Officials told the outlet that a passenger and pilot, now identified as Taub and Chafetz, were on board the plane with up to six people.
The wreck was found just before 11 p.m in the trees on a small island on a reservoir very close to the airport. A replay of the flight on flight radar shows the plane making a rapid descent, descending thousands of feet in a matter of minutes. Chafetz is survived by his wife and seven children, according to flight magazine DansDeals website.