Richard Rockefeller, a son of philanthropist David Rockefeller Sr. and great-grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller Sr., died Friday when his single-engine plane crashed after takeoff from the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York.
The 65-year-old Rockefeller was returning home to Falmouth, Maine.
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The Piper Meridian single-engine turbo prop plane left the airport amid foggy and rainy conditions about 8 a.m. Friday and crashed nearly 10 minutes later in a residential neighborhood less than three miles away, Peter Scherrer, a
irport operations administrator, told The Journal News.
No one else was one the plane and no other injuries were reported.
"It's a terrible tragedy," Fraser Seitel, a spokesman for the family, said in a statement. "The family is in shock. Richard was a wonderful and cherished member of the family. He was an experienced pilot. He was a medical doctor, and it's horribly sad."
Rockefeller was in town to celebrate his father's 99th birthday on Thursday, Seitel told The Journal News. The elder Rockefeller is the oldest living member of the family, and is the grandson of John D. Rockefeller.
One of the great American dynasties, the Rockefeller family has seen its share of tragedy, including the suicide of John D. Rockefeller Sr.'s great-niece, Winifred Rockefeller Emeny, and accidental deaths of Michael Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller III.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, general aviation aircraft, which includes all planes except passenger airlines, were involved in 1,471 accidents, resulting in 271 fatal crashes and 432 deaths in 2012, the most recent year in which data was available.
Richard Rockefeller is survived by his wife, two adult children, a brother, and four sisters. His uncle was Nelson A. Rockefeller, the 41st United States Vice President and a former governor of New York.
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