Officials: Pilot dies after small plane crashes in cemetery

The crumpled wreckage of a Cessna airplane can be seen just above the wall of the Rural Cemetery in New Bedford. The plane crashed Monday afternoon,, killing the pilot, officials said. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — Officials say a pilot has died after a small plane crashed in a Massachusetts cemetery.

Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, tells the Boston Globe the pilot of a Cessna 150 that crashed Monday at the Rural Cemetery in New Bedford has died.

The official did not reveal the pilot’s name, age or hometown.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the plane departed from New Bedford Regional Airport; about 5 miles north of the cemetery that dates to the 1800s and is located near the Rhode Island state line.

Officials say the pilot was the only person aboard the plane.

The agency says it will investigate and the NTSB plans to release a preliminary report regarding the crash within the next two weeks.