UPDATE: ALTERCATION with instructor before crash -Jordanian Muslim crashes plane in CT.

(SEE UPDATES BELOW)

This small airplane crash by a Jordanian Muslim in Connecticut yesterday has terrorism written all over it:

DAILY MAIL – The FBI is investigating claims a Jordanian student pilot intentionally crashed a light aircraft, killing himself and injuring three others.

The Piper PA 34 was being flown by Feras M. Freitekh and his instructor when it crashed on Main Street in East Hartford at around 3.45pm on Tuesday, resulting in what one witness described as a ‘mushroom cloud explosion.’

Student pilot Freitekh, 28, a Jordanian national, was killed in the crash, according to reports by the New York Times.

His instructor was rushed to hospital with serious burns. Two people in a minivan close to the landing site were also hospitalized.

The FBI is now investigating whether the crash, near aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor Pratt & Whitney’s headquarters was intentional, after the instructor pilot claimed the plane was intentionally crashed.

The instructor is the on claiming that Freitekh intentionally crashed the plane and that’s the best witness testimony you could have.

According to CBS News:

One of the men on the plane, Feras M. Freitekh, is a Jordanian national who first entered the U.S. in 2012 on a temporary student M1 visa to fulfill a course of study for flight school, CBS News has learned. At some point his status changed to an F1 visa, and he went to a language school in Toledo, Ohio. It then went back to an M1 visa.

They also note:

East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc said Wednesday that the survivor of the crash near a military jet-engine manufacturer told authorities that it was intentional. Leclerc cautioned that the information has not been confirmed.

East Hartford police asked the FBI to assist the investigation because it happened near Pratt & Whitney, which makes military and commercial jet engines. Chief Scott Sansom called the jet engine maker “critical infrastructure.”

I know the police are still investigating this and haven’t called it terrorism yet, but could it be that Freitekh was trying to ram his small engine airplane into this military defense manufacturer and that this instructor pilot stopped him and is a hero? I think that’s a strong possibility just based on the proximity of the crash to Pratt and Whitney.

According to Heavy.com, Freitekh lived with 3 other foreign nationals all trying to get their pilot’s license:

As I said this has Muslim terrorism written all over it.

Here’s a couple of videos of the crash aftermath:

Here’s some photos of Freitekh from Facebook:

feras-freitekh

feras_freitekh_face

We’ll bring you more as this develops.

 
UPDATE: The NTSB now confirms that the plane crash was intentional:

The National Transportation Safety Board’s initial investigation of Tuesday’s aircraft crash in East Hartford, Connecticut, indicates the crash is the result of an intentional act.

“In light of that information and in accordance with established procedures the NTSB is in the process of transferring the lead for the investigation from NTSB to the FBI,” officials said in a statement. “The NTSB stands ready to support the FBI’s investigation should a request be made for agency expertise.”

 
UPDATE 2: The Hartford Courant says Freitekh was arguing with this flight instructor before the crash:

A student pilot and instructor were arguing shortly before a small plane they were in crashed near Pratt & Whitney Tuesday, killing one of them, a high-ranking local law enforcement official said Wednesday.

The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the student pilot told the instructor he did not want to fly the plane any longer, although it is not clear why.

An initial search of an apartment where the student pilot, Feras M. Freitekh, was staying turned up no evidence of terrorism, the source said. But the FBI continued to search the apartment until about 2 p.m. Wednesday. Freitekh, 28, was killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board said its initial investigation indicates the crash was intentional and that the FBI will lead the investigation.

East Hartford Lt. Joshua Litwin said the one of the victims escaped from the plane after it crashed and is being treated at the Bridgeport hospital’s burn center. He is expected to survive and is talking with investigators, Litwin said.

 
UPDATE 3: Fox News is now reporting that there was an altercation before the crash:

The small plane crash in Connecticut that killed one man on board appears to have been a suicide, a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Flight instructor Arian Prevalla survived the East Hartford crash Tuesday. Student pilot Feras Freitekh died. The official said the flight instructor described the student pilot as disgruntled about learning to be a pilot.

The official says the instructor told police there was an altercation in the cockpit during their training flight, and the instructor was unable to regain control of the plane from the student pilot. The plane crashed onto a busy road near jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney’s headquarters.

We’ll continue to update with more details…


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