A former NFL great perished in an aircraft crash in New York.
Two persons were slain in a tiny plane crash that occurred over the weekend at an airport in Upstate New York, including a former NFL player, said the report.
The collision at the end of a runway at Lake Placid Airport occurred just after 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The plane did a “hard roll to the left” after takeoff on Sunday, according to a National Transportation Safety Board representative, although the inquiry is still underway.
According to the publication, the victims have been named as former NFL tight end Russ Francis and senior vice president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Richard McSpadden. The Lake Placid Airways scenic tour company at the airport was recently acquired by Francis.
On January 20, 1985, at Stanford, California, during Super Bowl XIX between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium, Russ Francis #81 of the 49ers attempts to avoid a tackle. The 49ers won 38–16 against the Dolphins. (Image by Getty Images/Tony Duffy)
The pilot and passenger were killed after the Cessna aircraft crashed “under unknown circumstances short of the runway,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Emergency workers from Lake Placid, forest rangers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York State Police also responded.
The aircraft “had an emergency after takeoff,” according to the AOPA, which stated in a Facebook post on Sunday. “The aeroplane attempted to return to the airport but failed to make it to the runway.
Russ Francis, a former tight end for the New England Patriots, passed away suddenly and tragically. The Patriots expressed their sincere sadness on Twitter early on Monday. “We send our sympathies to Francis’s friends and family.”
Ed, Francis’ brother, verified the information on his own Facebook page as well.
When individuals like myself, Jesse Sapolu, and Mark Tuinei were attempting to get into the National Football League or when we started our careers, I don’t think there was anyone greater than him during that decade or more that he played football, Rich Miano said to KHON on Sunday. “All the world, Howard Cosell, Monday Night Football didn’t get any bigger than Russ Francis.
The New England Patriots selected Francis in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He went on to win a Super Bowl, be selected twice as an All-Pro, and be selected as a Pro Bowler three times, according to Nexstar’s KHON. In addition, Francis was a 49ers player for San Francisco.
Francis joined the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame and worked as a local and national sportscaster after his playing career ended.
WFFF from Nexstar contacted the New York State Police with more inquiries, but they did not hear back right away.
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