MassDOT announces closures along major highway as investigation into deadly plane crash ramps up

DARTMOUTH, Mass. — Part of a major Massachusetts highway will remain closed through Tuesday night as federal investigators comb through the wreckage of a small plane crash that left a married couple dead.

A fixed-wing, single-engine Socata TBM 700 with two people onboard had just taken off from New Bedford Regional Airport when it went down near the Reed Road exit on Interstate 195 in Dartmouth on Monday morning as a fall nor’easter blew through.

Drone video shows crashed plane resting in median on I-195 in Dartmouth

The victims were identified as Thomas and Agatha Perkins, a couple in their 60s from Middletown, Rhode Island. They were found in the fuselage, which came ot rest in the highway’s grassy median.

I-195 was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash before it partially reopened for the evening commute. Massachusetts State Police secured the scene overnight as troopers awaited the arrival of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board.

A Boston 25 News photographer spotted NTSB crews working at the scene of the wreck on Tuesday morning. They are trying to determine what led up to the crash.

As a result of the ongoing federal investigation, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced that the high-speed lanes on the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway at Exit 19 would be closed until at least 8 p.m.

“The closures are due to a crash investigation that will continue until 8 p.m. tonight,” MassDOT said in a statement.

Drivers heading past the crash scene should be prepared for traffic delays.

According to witnesses, the crash sparked fires along the highway and left a chaotic scene. A woman driving on I-195 was also injured in the crash but has since been treated and released from the hospital.

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“All of a sudden, I just saw a cloud of smoke, and then a mushroom cloud and bright red flames,” commuter Charles Griffin recalled.

One person in a vehicle on the highway was hurt, treated at a local hospital, and released.

It was raining steadily and the wind was howling at the time of the crash.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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