‘Like a bomb went off’: A plane fell from the sky onto a Massachusetts highway. It changed everything in an instant

A tragic small plane crash this morning on the median of Interstate 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, has sadly claimed the lives of both people on board, Thomas Perkins, 68, and his wife, Agatha Perkins, 66, of Middletown, Rhode Island. The fixed-wing aircraft, a Socata TBM 700, came down just after 8 AM in a fiery wreck right on the highway median, completely shutting down traffic and causing a terrifying scene for morning commuters.

This is one of those awful, unpredictable accidents that just stops you in your tracks, and my heart goes out to the Perkins family. Per WCVB, the couple was found in the fuselage by first responders and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s office. You can’t even imagine the shock for the poor soul driving nearby. We’ve seen a lot of plane crashes this year, but not many on a highway.

A woman in a silver Hyundai Sonata was injured when a portion of the plane impacted her car. Thankfully, she was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. When you see the video of the wreckage, with the plane ablaze on the median, it’s a wonder that the injuries on the ground weren’t far worse.

A plane crashed into the ground

The Socata TBM 700, for those curious about the plane itself, is a single-engine turbo-prop aircraft manufactured in 2003. A check of the tail number in the FAA registry confirms it’s owned by Easton Air, LLC, out of the same hometown as the victims. The flight had taken off from the New Bedford Regional Airport, and additional reports indicate its intended destination was Kenosha, Wisconsin. This makes the timing of the crash (shortly after takeoff) particularly suspicious, as the plane was only at an altitude of about 800 feet before the crash.

The biggest questions right now swirl around the circumstances leading up to the crash. You see, police have stated it doesn’t appear that the pilot gave the airport a flight plan or even the number of people aboard the aircraft. That’s a pretty crucial piece of information to skip, and I’m sure it’s something the investigators will be looking at very hard. It’s an initial piece of the puzzle that just doesn’t fit cleanly.

To be fair, the weather was absolutely terrible this morning. The region was being battered by a nor’easter, which brought fierce, heavy rain and strong winds. We’re talking about wind gusts that could have been above 40 mph, with visibility down to below two miles.

Even for experienced pilots, those are treacherous conditions, and you have to wonder how much the severe weather contributed to the tragedy. It makes you realize how quickly things can go from fine to an absolute disaster when nature gets involved.