Small plane crashes on Massachusetts highway, killing two aboard and injuring motorist State police said one motorist was injured after the plane came down on Interstate 195 during the Monday morning rush hour.
A small plane crashed onto Interstate 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on 2025-10-13, killing two people on board and injuring one motorist as debris spread across the highway.
The aircraft was identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as a Socata TBM-700, and officials said it had departed from New Bedford Regional Airport. State police said the pilot may have been attempting to land at the airport, although it was not clear from the packet whether a flight plan had been filed. The plane struck the highway during the Monday morning rush hour, turning a routine commute into a fast-moving emergency.
The human toll on the ground was limited compared with what could have happened. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said no motorists were seriously injured, and state police said a woman whose car was struck was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. That outcome matters because the wreckage and fire could easily have produced a larger casualty count on a busy interstate.
The two people who died were identified as Thomas Perkins, 68, and his wife Agatha, 66, both of Middletown, Rhode Island. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said they were pronounced dead at the scene. The packet does not say whether they were the only occupants or describe the family’s destination.
Weather may have been a factor, but the evidence stops short of assigning blame. The National Weather Service said a nor’easter was bringing rain and winds of 30 to 40 mph at the time of the crash. That is useful context, yet it is not the same as a cause. The NTSB said it was investigating.
The highway was closed in both directions near the crash site and partially reopened later that day. Videos from passing vehicles showed thick black smoke billowing from the fuselage and debris strewn across the median and nearby brush. Even with those dramatic images, the official record in the packet remains limited to the basic facts: a plane came down on I-195, two people aboard died, one motorist was hurt, and investigators were still trying to understand why.
- Event date: 2025-10-13
- Aircraft: Socata TBM-700
- Death toll: two aboard
- Ground injury: one motorist, non-life-threatening
- Investigation: NTSB probing possible landing attempt at New Bedford Regional Airport
