Pilot died after air traffic controller told him to land on a Long Island runway that no longer exists

  • Joseph Milo, 59, was killed but his passenger Carl Giordano, 55, survived
  • The pilot had radioed for assistance after experiencing altitude problems
  • An unidentified air traffic controller directed him to 'Bethpage strip'
  • But the site is now a car dealership and industrial units after the runway was built on more than a decade ago

A pilot was killed after an air traffic controller directed him to a runway that no longer exists, a preliminary accident report has found.

Joseph Milo, 59, died when his single-engine Hawker Beechcraft BE35 crashed on to a Long Island railroad crossing in Hicksville on August 16.

Miraculously his passenger, Carl Giordano, 55, survived despite the plane bursting into flames.

The report states that the controller had provided Milo with information about a nearby 'Bethpage strip' with a usable runway. But the site was developed into industrial units at least a decade ago - and Milo's plane crashed a quarter of a mile away from it.  

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The Hawker Beechcraft BE35 crashed on to the railroad crossing in Hicksville (pictured) on August 16

The Hawker Beechcraft BE35 crashed on to the railroad crossing in Hicksville (pictured) on August 16

He started to experience mechanical difficulties shortly after taking off from his hometown in Westhampton Beach on his way to Morristown, New Jersey, the report said.

He radioed the nearest airport - the Republic Airport in Farmingdale - and said he needed to take his plane down, the New York Post reports.

An air-traffic controller gave him information about the locations of Republic, La Guardia, Kennedy and Westchester airports - but Milo said he was having altitude difficulties and was worried he would not make it. 

He was instructed to try to make it to 'Bethpage strip'. 

Emergency services at the scene of Long Island plane crash earlier this month. The pilot had been directed to a runway that was developed into an industrial estate several years ago

Emergency services at the scene of Long Island plane crash earlier this month. The pilot had been directed to a runway that was developed into an industrial estate several years ago

The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said the unidentified controller insisted there was still a usable runway there.

But Mr Milo could not find the landing strip, which has long been replaced by industrial buildings. He crashed into the nearby railway crossing. Local train services were disrupted for several hours.

Residents of a nearby senior living facility said they heard a loud noise and saw the craft on fire. 

Bystanders ran to the scene but were beaten back by the flames.

Mr Giordan, a surgeon from New Vernon, New Jersey, suffered a broken jaw, cuts and bruises. He was released from hospital the day after the crash.

The former runway at Bethpage was used by Grumman to test the aircraft it manufactured at the site. The company was merged with Northrop Aircraft in 1994. 

It is not clear exactly when the runway was closed but a local resident said 'it's been a car dealership and warehouses for many years'.

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