Eight people displaced; plane crashes into Keene, NH, apartments

KEENE, N.H. – Scott Gauthier says he’s thankful to be alive. He lives in the multi-family apartment building that was hit by a plane Friday night in Keene, New Hampshire, killing the two people on board the aircraft.

“I heard a crash; The whole roof back there was on fire. It was spreading,” Gauthier said. 

Investigators say no one inside the apartment building was hurt and everyone made it out safely. The garage, which caught fire, is completely destroyed. The two-story building sustained significant damage to an estimated 20% of the rear of the structure, and it will remain uninhabited until it can be further assessed. The eight people who live in the building are currently displaced.

Nathaniel Stiles is the youth pastor at Hope Chapel. The plane crashed just 30 feet away from the church. Overcome by emotion, Stiles said the fellowship hall was full of children taking part in a youth group chapel service at the time of the crash. 

“We are so thankful to God for getting every child and every person out of there alive,” Stiles said. 

Moments after the crash, Stiles and the other youth leaders rushed the children out of the church and out of harm’s way to make sure they were safe. All of them were terrified. “I spoke with some over the last couple of hours, and some of them are still a little shaken up, but I think they’re going to be OK,” he said. 

On Saturday, the National Transportation Safety Board continued to its investigation. The FAA said the single-engine Beechcraft Sierra crashed shortly after take-off from Dillant/Hopkins Airport in Keene just before 7 Friday night.

“Almost all of our stuff is ruined, but that’s just material things that are easy to replace. Everybody got out – that was the best,” Gauthier said. 

Stiles is thankful that the children and neighbors were protected. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost their home and the pilot and passenger who lost their lives, and kids who watched as this tragedy unfolded,” he said.

No word yet and what caused the plane to go down. The crash remains under investigation.