Maryland State Police responded to a small plane crash that occurred late this morning in Talbot County.
At about 11:15 a.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police Easton Barrack responded to Easton Airport, located in the 29000 block of Newnam Road in Easton, Maryland, for a report of a small plane crash.
According to a preliminary investigation, the pilot was flying a Trident Air single-engine plane when for unknown reasons the plane crashed in a field near the airport. The plane became fully engulfed in flames after the pilot was removed from the cockpit.
The pilot was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment of their injuries. The Talbot County Sheriff’s Office, the Easton Police Department and the Talbot County Department of Emergency Services also responded to the scene.
The pilot was identified as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. The USNA is withholding his name due to privacy. However they did confirm that he is a member of the Naval Academy’s Powered Flight Program (PFP), which provides midshipmen interested in eventually becoming naval aviators the opportunity to learn to fly prior to commissioning and beginning Naval Flight School. The pilot was soloing as part of his PFP syllabus.
The midshipman was the only individual in the aircraft and the only person sustaining injuries in this accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board was notified and responded to the scene to investigate the incident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
