Central NY man dies in Upstate plane crash piloting World War I replica plane

Red Hook, N.Y. — A Central New York man died in a plane crash Saturday while piloting a World War I replica plane, according to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Brian T. Coughlin, 60, of Cazenovia was piloting the Fokker D.VIII plane when the engine caught fire around 2:58 p.m. at the aerodrome on Norton Road in Red Hook, according to the Red Hook Police Department. Red Hook is in Dutchess County.

The plane crashed during an exhibition and Coughlin was declared dead at the scene, police said.

The plane went down off the south end of the runway, according to a Facebook post from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

Coughlin was a longtime Aerodrome volunteer and also a board member, according to the Facebook post.

The crash wasn’t the first for Coughlin, according to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives.

In 2005, Coughlin was piloting a plane that crashed in Dutchess County after the plane had engine failure, deputies said at the time. He was flying a replica 1915 Nieuport 11 with its original engine, deputies said.

He took off rose to 75 feet and then lost power, crashing in a nearby field about 2,500 feet from where he took off, deputies said. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries, deputies said.

Coughlin often flew antique planes from an airstrip in his back yard, according to archives. He owned the Fleet airplane once flown by his father, Dr. P. Richard Coughlin, according to archives.

His father got into flying after serving on the battleship New Jersey during World War II, according to archives.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating this weekend’s crash, according to the Aerodrome Facebook post.

The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating, according to a tweet from the NTSB newsroom.

Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com.