Kenneth R. Moore, 66, of Pembroke, and Marcy Asbury, 62, of East Falmouth, have been identified as the two people killed when their Piper PA-28 Cherokee crashed in a wooded area near Center Street in Ludlow, Massachusetts, Saturday night. The NTSB and FAA are investigating alongside state and local police.
The communities of Pembroke, East Falmouth, and Ludlow, Massachusetts, are grieving after a small-aircraft crash claimed two lives over the weekend.
The Victims
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announced Thursday that the two people killed in Saturday’s crash were Kenneth R. Moore, 66, of Pembroke, and Marcy Asbury, 62, of East Falmouth. They were the aircraft’s only two occupants.
What Happened
The crash occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m. Saturday, September 5, near Center Street in Ludlow. Ludlow police and Massachusetts State Police responded after receiving a report of a missing aircraft, following reports that air traffic controllers had lost contact with the plane.
Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft go down and called for help, according to the Ludlow Fire Department. Search crews, including Massachusetts State Police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel, worked through difficult terrain and approaching darkness to locate the wreckage, using a State Police aircraft and drones before finding the plane in a wooded area off Center Street later that night.
Both occupants were declared dead at the scene.
The Aircraft
The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-28 Cherokee, was owned by Alpha One Flight Services, a Plymouth-based flight school and aircraft rental company. Company founder Chris Hyldburg said in a statement that it was the first accident involving injuries in the company’s 38-year history.
“While we are devastated at the loss for our flying family, this pales to the overwhelming heartache for the family and friends of two very special people,” Hyldburg said. “It is with much love we send our condolences.”
Investigation Underway
The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office and the Ludlow Police Department, working in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators are expected to examine a range of factors, including weather conditions at the time of the crash, flight-path information, aircraft maintenance records, and mechanical components recovered from the wreckage. Authorities caution that the precise cause of the crash should not be assumed until the investigation is complete.
District Attorney Gulluni extended condolences to the victims’ families as the investigation continues.
A Community Grieving
For the families of Kenneth Moore and Marcy Asbury, the ongoing investigation offers little comfort against the immediate weight of their loss. Aviation accidents often leave families and communities grappling with shock and unanswered questions in the days and weeks that follow, even as authorities work to piece together what happened.
Condolences have extended well beyond Ludlow itself, reaching communities in Pembroke, East Falmouth, and beyond, as friends, family, and acquaintances of both victims come to terms with the sudden loss.
