Boy Killed as Plane Hits Queens House:
A Civil Air Patrol plane piloted by a 27‐year‐old woman crashed into a twofamily house in Queens yesterday, killing a 16‐year‐old air cadet and injuring two other teen‐aged cadets as well as the pilot. No one on the ground was hurt.
The Cessna 172 struck the roof of the red‐brick row house and burst into flames that ignited the roof and an unoccupied apartment on the upper floor of the twostory structure at 144‐69 27th Avenue in the Flushing section. Witnesses said the engine exploded. There was no immediate explanation for the crash.
As the flames broke out, neighbors rushed to the scene with blankets and a step ladder to try to help the survivors out of the plane's wreckage.
But one cadet leaped from the plane to a pine tree and fell to the ground. A secupd youth and the pilot fell directly from Vie wreckage, the pilot after dangling upside down for several moments, witnesses said.
The plane was on an orientation flight when it took off from Flushing Airport at 10:05 A.M. Three minutes later it crashed into the second‐floor apartment, which had been vacated two weeks before.
The couple living in the apartment downstairs fled the house uninjured, and firemen quickly put out the blaze.
Neighborhood residents attempted to free the fourth passenger from the wreck, but were forced to pull back when the engine exploded, engulfing 16‐year‐old Edward Guevara of the Bronx in flames. The youth, who lived at 526 Tinton Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other passengers were identified as Miguel Rosado, 14, of 965 Tinton Avenue and Martin Jorge, 16, of 770 East 165th Street, both the Bronx. They were taken to Booth Memorial Medical Center, where young Martin's condition was described first as serious and later as “stable” and Miguel was reported in fair condition.
The pilot, Annette Leder of 3535 De Kalb Avenue, the Bronx, a Civil Air Patrol lieutenant, was reported in critical condition at Flushing Hospital and Medical Center.
Residents of the area reported that the plane was flying low and grazed hightension wires before crashing into the house, about a mile southeast of the airport.
Although officials would not speculate on the cause of the crash, the medical technician on the ambulance that first reached the crash site, Joseph L. Lazzaro, said he heard the boys, who were dazed by the crash, say the words “switching over” and “changing over.”
According to one Civil Air Patrol.official, this could refer to switching gasoline tanks, which he described as “standard procedure if there was a malfunction.”
Another air patrol official said the words could have other meanings, including switching frequencies on the plane's radio.
On the first floor of the house where the plane crashed, Joseph and Marie Gendusa were eating breakfast. Mrs. Gendusa ran outside when she heard what she described as a “horrible noise” and saw sparks from a high‐tension wire.
She ran back inside, shouted to her husband, "That's a plane!", and then ran to the basement, where the couple's son, Dr. Nelson L. Gendusa of Manhasset, L.I., has a dental office. In the b'asement, Mrs. Gendusa shut off the gas line to the heater.Her husband ran to the garage underneath the house to hook up a water hose to try to extinguish the fire.
Not five feet away from the crash site were Sylvan and Ruth Rosenweig, who were sipping morning coffee in the upstairs apartment in the attached house next door.
I thought it was two trucks colliding," Mr. Rosenweig said. He and his wife escaped unhurt, and their apartment suffered only minor damage.
The neighborhood efforts to help the victims began within seconds of the crash. Victor Balancia of 25‐61 146th Street ran outside when he heard the noise.
“I saw the plane sticking out of the corner of the house,” he said.
He ran over to the wreck where, he said, a passenger was screaming, “Help me, help me!”
“We put the ladder up against the house,” he said. “It was burning. The roof was very hot.”
Shortly after that, Mr. Balancia said, the engine exploded, and part of the plane came tumbling off the roof, grazing the back of a man who had climbed up to help.
“We pulled three guys from the scene,” said Victor Petraglia of 144‐65 25th Drive. They were placed on the ground across the street and wrapped in blankets.
Among the others in the area who ran immediately to the scene were Larry Minasian, a contractor from Orange, N.J. who was helping his brother‐in‐law across the street put in a patio, and an off‐duty detective, William M. Brady from the 75th Precinct, who was returning home from church with his family when he saw smoke in the vicinity of the house. He was treated for minor burns.
Founded in December 1941, the Civil Air Patrol is the civilian volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force. It is best known for the activities of its adult branch, which is often involved in search, rescue and disaster‐relief efforts.
The program also seeks to interest young people in aviation through its Cadet program for youths 13 to 21 years old. The program involves meetings and lectures, and also orientation flights like yesterday's flight that ended in the crash.
According to Col. Paul C. Halstead, C.A.P. wing commander for New York State, the flights are “an introduction to flying” designed to give cadets experience in the air. However, the young cadets themselves do no flying on these flights.
To fly cadets on orientation, a pilot must have at least 200 hours of flight experience and must pass a special examination.
Colonel Halstead said that Lieut. Leder was in the “200‐to‐250‐hour” range of flight time, had passed the test and was studying for a commercial license.
Under the Civil Air Patrol structure, the New York State Wing is divided into sectors, which are in turn divided into groups. Yesterday's flight was sponsored by the Bronx group.
The wings of the Civil Aft. Patrol receive no Federal funds and are supported by dues, private contributions and state subsidies. According to Colonel Halstead, the New York wing received $50,000 from New York State last year and is requesting $125,000 this year.
“All the safety precautions are made,” Colonel Halstead said of the crash, “but the law of averages catches up with you once in a blue moon.”
The accident was the third in the last five months involving planes from Flushing Airport.
On Dec. 31, a twin‐engined private plane crashed in College Point, Queens, within minutes of takeoff, seriously injuring the pilot, his 12‐year‐old son and two other passengers.
Earlier this month a single‐engined plane developed engine trouble shortly after taking off and made an emergency landing in a muddy cove about 30 feet from a row of houses in College Point.

- New York Times, May 23, 1977

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CAP 'ORIENTATION' FLIGHT ENDS IN CRASH; CADET DIES New York(UPI) (edited to correct spelling of last name) - A Civil Air Patrol plane lifted off from a small airport in Queens County Sunday morning to give young cadets an
"orientation" flight and moments later crashed into a two-family house, killing one cadet and injuring the woman pilot and two other cadets aboard.
None of the victims was identified pending notification of next of kin. The house was believed to be empty at the time of the crash.
Hospital officials said the pilot was in critical condition at Flushing Hospital with multiple fractures. The two cadets were in guarded condition at Booth Memorial Hospital.
The cadet who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the one-engine Cessna 172 had taken off from Flushing Airport at 10 a.m. EDT and went down moments later, hitting the top floor of a two-story house in the Flushing section of Queens County. The crash caused a fire which was quickly put out by firemen.
Officials said the house is about a mile southeast of the airport, located near Flushing Bay directly across from LaGuardia Airport.
Cindy Clear, 22, who lives directly across from the house, said, "I was lying in bed and heard a big bang. I looked outside and saw a plane sticking out from the roof of the house across the street."
"I was pretty scared. I was shaking. People were coming around to tell us to get out of the house because sparks might have started a fire."
Miss Clear said, "One man pushed his way out of the plane and fell on to the grass. The plane then exploded and there was a big fire."
"The wings fell onto the ground and the rest of the plane was demolished."
Mrs. Maria Capulo, who also lives across the street from the crash said, "The part of the plane where the pilot was was inside the house. There were a lot of flames and I saw them take one body away."
Killed:
Cadet EDWIN GUEVERA, 16, Bronx.
Injured:
Pilot Civil Air Patrol Lt. ANNETTE LEDER, 27, of Bronx, critical condition with multiple fractures and spinal injuries.
Cadet GEORGE MARTIN, 16, Bronx, serious condition at Booth Memorial Hospital with a brain concussion and internal injuries.
Cadet MIGUEL ROSADO, 14, Bronx, was in fair condition at Booth Memorial Hospital with hand and leg injuries.

- Playground Daily News Fort Walton Beach Florida 1977-05-23

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CAP Plane Crash Kills 1, Hurts 3 in Queens County:
A Civil Air Patrol plane lifted off from a small airport in Queens County Sunday morning to give young cadets an "orientation" flight and moments later crashed into a two-family house, killing one cadet and injuring the woman pilot and two other cadets aboard.
None of the victims was identified pending notification of next of kin. The house was believed to be empty at the time of the crash.
Hospital officials said the pilot was in critical condition at Flushing Hospital with multiple fractures. The two cadets were in guarded condition at Booth Memorial Hospital.
The cadet who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the one-engine Cessna 172 had taken off from Flushing Airport at 10 a.m EDT and went down moments later, hitting the top floor of a two-story house in the Flushing section of Queens County. The crash caused a fire which was quickly put out by firemen.
Officials said the house is about a mile southeast of the airport, located near Flushing Bay directly across from LaGuardia Airport.
Cindy Clear, 22, who lives directly across from the house, said, "I was lying in bed and heard a big bang. I looked outside and saw a plane sticking out from the roof of the house across the street.
"I was pretty scared, I was shaking. People were coming around to tell us to get out of the house because sparks might have started a fire."
Miss Clear said, "One man pushed his way out of the plane and fell on to the grass. The plane then exploded and there was a big fire.
"The wings fell onto the ground and the rest of the plane was demolished."
Mrs. Maria Caputo, who also lives across the street from the crash said, "The part of the plane where the pilot was inside the house. There were a lot of flames and I saw them take one body away."
Flushing Airport manager Clifford Rice said the plane "had just taken off on a training flight."
Rice said the airport, which handles light aircraft, immediately suspended operations for several hours.
Leroy Molini, a major in the Civil Air Patrol, said the plane "was taking the kids on an orientation flight in the local area to show them how the aircraft operates, to familiarize them with the patrol."
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board immediately began an investigation.
Police said the house contained a dentist's office on the ground floor and an apartment above which had been rented but the tenants had not moved in yet. If there had been any occupants in the home at the time, they left before police arrived.
The Civil Air Patrol is a government-sponsored organization of pilots who use light planes to conduct searches and rescues for missing aircraft and assist in other emergencies.

- Schenectady Gazette, May 23, 1977, page 2

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The aircraft was a Cessna 172K Skyhawk, owned by the Civil Air Patrol, N217NY. The accident happened about 10:08 AM on Sunday, May 22, 1977. The probable cause of the accident was that the pilot in command failed to obtain/maintain flying speed because of a misuse or failure to use flaps. The aircraft stalled and struck a house.

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GenDisastors.com - Queens County, NY Civil Air Patrol Plane Crash, May 1977

Boy Killed as Plane Hits Queens House:
A Civil Air Patrol plane piloted by a 27‐year‐old woman crashed into a twofamily house in Queens yesterday, killing a 16‐year‐old air cadet and injuring two other teen‐aged cadets as well as the pilot. No one on the ground was hurt.
The Cessna 172 struck the roof of the red‐brick row house and burst into flames that ignited the roof and an unoccupied apartment on the upper floor of the twostory structure at 144‐69 27th Avenue in the Flushing section. Witnesses said the engine exploded. There was no immediate explanation for the crash.
As the flames broke out, neighbors rushed to the scene with blankets and a step ladder to try to help the survivors out of the plane's wreckage.
But one cadet leaped from the plane to a pine tree and fell to the ground. A secupd youth and the pilot fell directly from Vie wreckage, the pilot after dangling upside down for several moments, witnesses said.
The plane was on an orientation flight when it took off from Flushing Airport at 10:05 A.M. Three minutes later it crashed into the second‐floor apartment, which had been vacated two weeks before.
The couple living in the apartment downstairs fled the house uninjured, and firemen quickly put out the blaze.
Neighborhood residents attempted to free the fourth passenger from the wreck, but were forced to pull back when the engine exploded, engulfing 16‐year‐old Edward Guevara of the Bronx in flames. The youth, who lived at 526 Tinton Avenue, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other passengers were identified as Miguel Rosado, 14, of 965 Tinton Avenue and Martin Jorge, 16, of 770 East 165th Street, both the Bronx. They were taken to Booth Memorial Medical Center, where young Martin's condition was described first as serious and later as “stable” and Miguel was reported in fair condition.
The pilot, Annette Leder of 3535 De Kalb Avenue, the Bronx, a Civil Air Patrol lieutenant, was reported in critical condition at Flushing Hospital and Medical Center.
Residents of the area reported that the plane was flying low and grazed hightension wires before crashing into the house, about a mile southeast of the airport.
Although officials would not speculate on the cause of the crash, the medical technician on the ambulance that first reached the crash site, Joseph L. Lazzaro, said he heard the boys, who were dazed by the crash, say the words “switching over” and “changing over.”
According to one Civil Air Patrol.official, this could refer to switching gasoline tanks, which he described as “standard procedure if there was a malfunction.”
Another air patrol official said the words could have other meanings, including switching frequencies on the plane's radio.
On the first floor of the house where the plane crashed, Joseph and Marie Gendusa were eating breakfast. Mrs. Gendusa ran outside when she heard what she described as a “horrible noise” and saw sparks from a high‐tension wire.
She ran back inside, shouted to her husband, "That's a plane!", and then ran to the basement, where the couple's son, Dr. Nelson L. Gendusa of Manhasset, L.I., has a dental office. In the b'asement, Mrs. Gendusa shut off the gas line to the heater.Her husband ran to the garage underneath the house to hook up a water hose to try to extinguish the fire.
Not five feet away from the crash site were Sylvan and Ruth Rosenweig, who were sipping morning coffee in the upstairs apartment in the attached house next door.
I thought it was two trucks colliding," Mr. Rosenweig said. He and his wife escaped unhurt, and their apartment suffered only minor damage.
The neighborhood efforts to help the victims began within seconds of the crash. Victor Balancia of 25‐61 146th Street ran outside when he heard the noise.
“I saw the plane sticking out of the corner of the house,” he said.
He ran over to the wreck where, he said, a passenger was screaming, “Help me, help me!”
“We put the ladder up against the house,” he said. “It was burning. The roof was very hot.”
Shortly after that, Mr. Balancia said, the engine exploded, and part of the plane came tumbling off the roof, grazing the back of a man who had climbed up to help.
“We pulled three guys from the scene,” said Victor Petraglia of 144‐65 25th Drive. They were placed on the ground across the street and wrapped in blankets.
Among the others in the area who ran immediately to the scene were Larry Minasian, a contractor from Orange, N.J. who was helping his brother‐in‐law across the street put in a patio, and an off‐duty detective, William M. Brady from the 75th Precinct, who was returning home from church with his family when he saw smoke in the vicinity of the house. He was treated for minor burns.
Founded in December 1941, the Civil Air Patrol is the civilian volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force. It is best known for the activities of its adult branch, which is often involved in search, rescue and disaster‐relief efforts.
The program also seeks to interest young people in aviation through its Cadet program for youths 13 to 21 years old. The program involves meetings and lectures, and also orientation flights like yesterday's flight that ended in the crash.
According to Col. Paul C. Halstead, C.A.P. wing commander for New York State, the flights are “an introduction to flying” designed to give cadets experience in the air. However, the young cadets themselves do no flying on these flights.
To fly cadets on orientation, a pilot must have at least 200 hours of flight experience and must pass a special examination.
Colonel Halstead said that Lieut. Leder was in the “200‐to‐250‐hour” range of flight time, had passed the test and was studying for a commercial license.
Under the Civil Air Patrol structure, the New York State Wing is divided into sectors, which are in turn divided into groups. Yesterday's flight was sponsored by the Bronx group.
The wings of the Civil Aft. Patrol receive no Federal funds and are supported by dues, private contributions and state subsidies. According to Colonel Halstead, the New York wing received $50,000 from New York State last year and is requesting $125,000 this year.
“All the safety precautions are made,” Colonel Halstead said of the crash, “but the law of averages catches up with you once in a blue moon.”
The accident was the third in the last five months involving planes from Flushing Airport.
On Dec. 31, a twin‐engined private plane crashed in College Point, Queens, within minutes of takeoff, seriously injuring the pilot, his 12‐year‐old son and two other passengers.
Earlier this month a single‐engined plane developed engine trouble shortly after taking off and made an emergency landing in a muddy cove about 30 feet from a row of houses in College Point.

- New York Times, May 23, 1977

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CAP 'ORIENTATION' FLIGHT ENDS IN CRASH; CADET DIES New York(UPI) (edited to correct spelling of last name) - A Civil Air Patrol plane lifted off from a small airport in Queens County Sunday morning to give young cadets an
"orientation" flight and moments later crashed into a two-family house, killing one cadet and injuring the woman pilot and two other cadets aboard.
None of the victims was identified pending notification of next of kin. The house was believed to be empty at the time of the crash.
Hospital officials said the pilot was in critical condition at Flushing Hospital with multiple fractures. The two cadets were in guarded condition at Booth Memorial Hospital.
The cadet who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the one-engine Cessna 172 had taken off from Flushing Airport at 10 a.m. EDT and went down moments later, hitting the top floor of a two-story house in the Flushing section of Queens County. The crash caused a fire which was quickly put out by firemen.
Officials said the house is about a mile southeast of the airport, located near Flushing Bay directly across from LaGuardia Airport.
Cindy Clear, 22, who lives directly across from the house, said, "I was lying in bed and heard a big bang. I looked outside and saw a plane sticking out from the roof of the house across the street."
"I was pretty scared. I was shaking. People were coming around to tell us to get out of the house because sparks might have started a fire."
Miss Clear said, "One man pushed his way out of the plane and fell on to the grass. The plane then exploded and there was a big fire."
"The wings fell onto the ground and the rest of the plane was demolished."
Mrs. Maria Capulo, who also lives across the street from the crash said, "The part of the plane where the pilot was was inside the house. There were a lot of flames and I saw them take one body away."
Killed:
Cadet EDWIN GUEVERA, 16, Bronx.
Injured:
Pilot Civil Air Patrol Lt. ANNETTE LEDER, 27, of Bronx, critical condition with multiple fractures and spinal injuries.
Cadet GEORGE MARTIN, 16, Bronx, serious condition at Booth Memorial Hospital with a brain concussion and internal injuries.
Cadet MIGUEL ROSADO, 14, Bronx, was in fair condition at Booth Memorial Hospital with hand and leg injuries.

- Playground Daily News Fort Walton Beach Florida 1977-05-23

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CAP Plane Crash Kills 1, Hurts 3 in Queens County:
A Civil Air Patrol plane lifted off from a small airport in Queens County Sunday morning to give young cadets an "orientation" flight and moments later crashed into a two-family house, killing one cadet and injuring the woman pilot and two other cadets aboard.
None of the victims was identified pending notification of next of kin. The house was believed to be empty at the time of the crash.
Hospital officials said the pilot was in critical condition at Flushing Hospital with multiple fractures. The two cadets were in guarded condition at Booth Memorial Hospital.
The cadet who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said the one-engine Cessna 172 had taken off from Flushing Airport at 10 a.m EDT and went down moments later, hitting the top floor of a two-story house in the Flushing section of Queens County. The crash caused a fire which was quickly put out by firemen.
Officials said the house is about a mile southeast of the airport, located near Flushing Bay directly across from LaGuardia Airport.
Cindy Clear, 22, who lives directly across from the house, said, "I was lying in bed and heard a big bang. I looked outside and saw a plane sticking out from the roof of the house across the street.
"I was pretty scared, I was shaking. People were coming around to tell us to get out of the house because sparks might have started a fire."
Miss Clear said, "One man pushed his way out of the plane and fell on to the grass. The plane then exploded and there was a big fire.
"The wings fell onto the ground and the rest of the plane was demolished."
Mrs. Maria Caputo, who also lives across the street from the crash said, "The part of the plane where the pilot was inside the house. There were a lot of flames and I saw them take one body away."
Flushing Airport manager Clifford Rice said the plane "had just taken off on a training flight."
Rice said the airport, which handles light aircraft, immediately suspended operations for several hours.
Leroy Molini, a major in the Civil Air Patrol, said the plane "was taking the kids on an orientation flight in the local area to show them how the aircraft operates, to familiarize them with the patrol."
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board immediately began an investigation.
Police said the house contained a dentist's office on the ground floor and an apartment above which had been rented but the tenants had not moved in yet. If there had been any occupants in the home at the time, they left before police arrived.
The Civil Air Patrol is a government-sponsored organization of pilots who use light planes to conduct searches and rescues for missing aircraft and assist in other emergencies.

- Schenectady Gazette, May 23, 1977, page 2

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The aircraft was a Cessna 172K Skyhawk, owned by the Civil Air Patrol, N217NY. The accident happened about 10:08 AM on Sunday, May 22, 1977. The probable cause of the accident was that the pilot in command failed to obtain/maintain flying speed because of a misuse or failure to use flaps. The aircraft stalled and struck a house.

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GenDisastors.com - Queens County, NY Civil Air Patrol Plane Crash, May 1977