Kreindler Monitoring Mitsubishi MU-2B Private Airplane Crash in Copake, New York

April 17, 2025

What Happened

On Saturday, April 12, 2025, at approximately 12:06p.m., a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 Solitaire private airplane crashed in Copake, New York. All six occupants were killed in the tragic small plane crash. Those onboard were traveling together for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday to upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains. Family members included husband and wife physicians (husband was the pilot), two of their adult children and the adult children’s partners. The physicians have a third child who was not on the flight. 

The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 was a fixed-wing multi-engine turboprop aircraft manufactured in 1995. According to the online FAA Registry, the Mitsubishi MU-2B airplane (number N635TA) is registered to Dynamic Spine Solutions LLC, located in Weston, Massachusetts. According to the FAA Registry, the model TPE331 engines on the turboprop airplane were manufactured by Garrett AiResearch. During the April 13, 2025, media briefing, NTSB Member Todd Inman named Honeywell as the manufacturer of the engines and a party to the investigation. 

In the Media

Preliminary Investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be investigating the cause of this fatal crash. During a press conference, the NTSB said they had recovered video of the final seconds of the crash, showing that the aircraft appeared to be intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground, known as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).

The NTSB spokesperson said the pilot reported a missed approach and requested vectors for another approach. While he was being vectored, radar indicated a low altitude alert, and the air traffic controller tried to relay the low altitude alert to the pilot, but was unable to make contact. There was no distress call from the aircraft, nor did the pilot respond to repeated attempts by the air traffic controller to contact the pilot.

Per the NTSB, the MU-2B aircraft involved in the crash had been purchased about a year ago, and according to information and visuals that the NTSB has seen, the airplane had an upgraded avionics package. NTSB added, the cockpit was more advanced with newer technology, including “volatile memory” and will be used for lab testing and could provide further information about the crash. (He may have meant “non-volatile memory” as that type of data remains after the unit is not powered.) 

Weather is another factor that will be looked into, as NTSB noted that there was snow on the ground at the time of the fatal crash. NTSB added that the plane was operating under IFR - Instrument Flight Rules at the time of the crash, as opposed to VFR - Visual Flight Rules. 

Mitsubishi MU-2 aircraft and Safety Issues

The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 aircraft is a uniquely challenging aircraft. Indeed, it is one of the few small, general aviation aircraft that the FAA requires specialized training in. Two of the challenges in flying the MU-2 are 1) its susceptibility to tail plane icing, which is icing at its tail section which can cause a loss of control; and 2) although it is a twin-engine aircraft, it can be challenging to handle on a single engine.

According to a 2024 article on the Simple Flying website, “The MU-2 has had a complex safety history, and there have been 330 fatalities in 183 recorded incidents involving the aircraft … in response to safety issues, the FAA implemented the most rigorous training and checking requirements ever issued for a turboprop aircraft.

The FAA issued Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 108, mandating specific training for MU-2 pilots. The regulation requires completing an FAA-approved MU-2B training program, including ground and flight training.”

Kreindler Experience with Mitsubishi Aircraft Crash Cases

Kreindler attorneys have handled numerous Mitsubishi MU-2 accident cases.

Kreindler was successful in obtaining a substantial confidential sum for the families of victims of a 1996 Mitsubishi MU-2 airplane crash in which eight people were killed, including several Coca-Cola Company and advertising agency executives. The aircraft had departed from Salt Lake City, Utah and was headed to Pocatello, Idaho. In the NTSB’s Final Accident Report, the investigation noted as probable cause, “continued flight by the flight crew into icing conditions with known faulty de-ice equipment.”

Kreindler attorneys represented the family of a victim following the crash of a Mitsubishi MU-2 airplane in Eola, Illinois (east of Aurora, IL) in which 5 people were killed. Included in the list of probable causes in the NTSB’s final report was icing. In the Eola Mitsubishi case, Kreindler successfully settled the case against the manufacturer.

Kreindler Experience with Icing and Weather-Related Crashes

Kreindler has handled numerous aviation accident cases involving icing and other weather-related issues, including:

• Mitsubishi MU-2 airplane crash near Malad City, Idaho, in which 8 people were killed. 
• Bombardier Challenger 600 Crash in Montrose, Colorado, in which the NTSB determined there was trace icing on the wings even though the pilots visually examined the wings before takeoff.
• Airbus AS350 B2 Helicopter Sightseeing Tour Crash in Hawaii resulting from an inadvertent flight into adverse weather leading to a collision with terrain.
• Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger Heli-Ski trip in Ruby Mountains, Nevada, Kreindler successfully represented the family of the President and CEO of the Walt Disney Company. Kreindler’s own investigation (independent from the NTSB’s) revealed that the manufacturer, Bell Helicopter Textron, knew that small quantities of snow inside the intake could lead to an engine failure. The amount of the record-setting wrongful death settlement is confidential.

About Kreindler

Kreindler is the preeminent aviation accident law firm in the world. Our attorneys have been appointed leading counsel in nearly every major commercial airline disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. The firm was recently named 2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal. Kreindler’s aviation practice is led by attorneys who are also commercial-rated, veteran military pilots. Kreindler’s aviation accident attorneys have achieved an unmatched record of success representing people globally who have been injured or lost family members in international and domestic airline disasters. Our firm maintains offices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.