An aviation-obsessed teen, her mom, and a high school teacher who had been teaching her how to fly were among four killed in a private airplane crash in Vermont Sunday.
Paul Pelletier, 55, Frank Rodriguez, 88, Susan Van Ness, 51, and her daughter Delilah Van Ness, 15, were named as victims in the crash – all had been residents of Connecticut.
Licensed pilot Pelletier taught aerospace and manufacturing at Middletown High, where Delilah had been his student, the school said in a statement.
A family member further told cops how the girl had been receiving flying lessons from Pelletier, while Rodriguez, a pilot as well, was there to accompany them. It currently remains unclear who had been piloting the four-person craft.
The plane left Connecticut’s Windham Airport around 8:30am Sunday, before landing in Vermont two hours later for a brunch reservation. They dined at an upscale eatery in Basin Harbor, with plans to return that day.
When they didn’t, families reported them missing, leading to the plane being discovered the following morning in a ‘wooded area to the east of the Basin Harbor Airport’. The airport is set right next to the resort where the four had just ate.
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Delilah Van Ness, 15, was one of four killed in a private airplane crash Sunday. It happened in Vermon, and her and the three other on board’s bodies were found the following morning
The young girl, who had been interested in aviation, was receiving flying lessons from 55-year-old Paul Pelletier, who was also pronounced dead Monday morning. He taught aerospace and manufacturing at Middletown High, where Delilah had been his student
All were pronounced dead at the scene, Vermont State Police said in a statement.
‘A preliminary investigation determined that the four-seat, single-engine Piper aircraft had departed Windham Airport in Connecticut at about 8:30am Sunday,’ cops wrote at 8:40am.
Following the two-hour flight, ‘the privately owned plane landed and the occupants arrived for a brunch reservation at Basin Harbor,’ cops confirmed – revealing ‘the party departed the restaurant shortly after noon and were to fly back to Connecticut.
‘A witness reported seeing the airplane on the runway at about 12:15pm, the statement added – before echoing earlier ones from cops claiming officials had received ‘no reports indicating an aircraft in distress’ before the crash.
‘However, after the plane failed to return to Connecticut as expected, relatives of the occupants reported the situation to the Connecticut State Police and the Middletown (Connecticut) Police Department,’ the statement continued.
‘Those agencies worked with the Federal Aviation Administration and used cellphone location data to determine the plane’s last known location was near the airstrip in Vermont.’
Afterwards, with the assistance of a drone flown by Middlebury cops, investigators were able to locate the wreckage at about 12:20am Monday, state police said.
First responders confirmed all four – including mother and daughter Susan and Delilah – were deceased.
The bodies were then brought to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington, where they are now undergoing autopsies to determine cause and manner of death.
![Also identified was Susan Van Ness, 51, Delilah's mother. She was remembered as 'a valued member of [the] Middletown community'](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/09/09/20/89454715-13830553-image-a-115_1725910030186.jpg)
Also identified was Susan Van Ness, 51, Delilah’s mother. She was remembered as ‘a valued member of [the] Middletown community’
The bodies were brought to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington, where they are undergoing autopsies. Pictured: Paul Pelletier. It remains unclear if the plane pictured was the one that crashed
Pelletier (right) is pictured flying a plane with his wife, who he is survived by. In addition to his work at the school the girl attended since elementary, he taught teens how to operate drones
Susan, meanwhile, worked as the Chief of Programs at the National Diaper Bank Network in Middletown, a non-profit dedicated to providing needy kids with ‘an adequate supply of diapers,’ its website states
Pelletier (pictured), a 55-year-old from Columbia, Connecticut, was among the dead. It remains unclear if he was the one flying the plane
Following the discovery, Middletown Public Schools officials issued a statement, revealing the nature of the victims’ relationships.
‘Paul, our dedicated Aerospace and Manufacturing teacher at Middletown High School since 2019, Delilah, a bright and cherished student who had been part of our Middletown school family since her elementary years, and Delilah’s mother, Susan, a valued member of our Middletown community, were aboard a small plane that tragically crashed in Vermont,’ it read.
‘The reasons for the crash are still unknown and are under investigation by the Vermont State Police.
‘This unimaginable loss has left a void in our hearts and our community. Paul, Delilah, and Susan were special individuals.
‘Their absence will be felt in our classrooms, hallways, and throughout our district and city.’
The statement made no mention of Rodriguez, who Middletown police said had been accompanying the group, according to the unnamed relative who reported the group missing.
The department was then able to trace the last known location of the cell phones of those onboard to trace the plane the area of Basin Harbor Airport, paving the way for the discovery, which was made when cops deployed a drone into the wooded area.
Pictured, the resort and surrounding harbor on Lake Champlain where the group had brunch before embarking on the ill-fated flight
Seen here, woods near the Basin Harbor Airport where the plane was found in Ferrisburgh early Monday morning
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, meanwhile, are still investigating the crash, which remains unexplained more than a day later.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the FAA for comment.
As the federal probe continues, posts on social media show how Pelletier was a seasoned pilot who often flew single-engine crafts – and also taught young aspiring pilots how to fly drones.
He is seen posing and flying several planes on Facebook.
Delilah’s social media showed her as a studious high schooler interested in aviation.
She said online that her interests are ‘robotics, aviation, cello, and art.’
She he was recognized by Connecticut Science Center at the age of just 14 for her work developing the ScreenBird, a handheld device and motion camera that work in tandem to make images appear as if they were a touch screen.
This allows for an image the user can interact with, with mouse-clicks and edits made while holding the device.
Pictured, Windham Airport in Connecticut, where the plane departed at about 8:30am Sunday with plans to head back that day. It never returned
Her mother Susan, meanwhile, worked as the Chief of Programs at the National Diaper Bank Network in Middletown, a non-profit dedicated to providing needy kids with ‘an adequate supply of diapers,’ its website states.
As for Rodriguez, he was a pilot once part of the Super Saber Society – a group of all-volunteer pilots recruited to fly low-elevation missions in enemy territory for ground commanders to send to their troops during various conflicts.
A biography on the group’s website recalls how he flew a F-100 from 1957 to 1959 with the US Air Force’s 49th Tactical Fighter Wing out of Étain-Rouvres AB, France, and again from 1959 to 1961 with the out of Spangdahlem AB in Germany.
The nickname bestowed on him by the flying force was ‘Speedy’, the bio states.
The investigation into the crash, meanwhile, remains ongoing, and is being treated as a federal investigation. It is unclear who was flying at the time of the crash.
When contacted about the crash Monday, The Basin Harbor Resort declined to comment.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
