Massachusetts State Police and local emergency crews spent Thursday scouring Myles Standish State Forest after reports that a small aircraft had gone down near Curlew Pond in Plymouth. The call came in Thursday morning, and responders spread out along the woods and shoreline, but officials had not yet released any information about who might have been on board or whether anyone was hurt.
State police confirmed that the reports involved a "small, fixed-wing aircraft" in the Curlew Pond area, according to WHDH. As of midday, the station reported that officials were still securing the area and had not disclosed details about possible passengers or injuries.
Where the report came from
Curlew Pond sits in the northwest corner of Myles Standish State Forest, a Department of Conservation and Recreation property that stretches across parts of Plymouth and Carver. The pond has a cartop boat launch and a campground along its shore, features that can complicate how emergency crews get in and out of the area, according to Mass.gov.
Likely investigation steps
When small aircraft go down, state police typically coordinate with federal partners such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is the agency charged with investigating civil aviation accidents and issuing safety recommendations, according to NTSB. In these kinds of cases, investigators usually document any wreckage, review maintenance and flight records, and interview witnesses as they work toward determining a probable cause.
A recent regional precedent
In May, crews pulled a small plane from a pond near the Quabbin Reservoir after a crash; the pilot was rescued and the FAA said it was investigating, as reported by the Boston Globe. That incident underscored how water and heavily wooded terrain can slow recovery efforts and stretch out the earliest phases of an investigation.
The scene in Myles Standish State Forest remained active into the afternoon, and officials had not released further details. Hoodline will update this story when state police or federal investigators provide new information.
