Plane Crashes in Sheffield; Passengers, Pilot Escape Uninjured

By Tom ConklinBerkshire News Network
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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — A Sheffield neighborhood was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a single-engine plane went down in a field and caught fire.

Five people aboard a small New York-bound plane escaped serious injury after it crashed and caught fire. State police and the Federal Aviation Administration say the single-engine Cessna 208 went down at about 3 p.m. at the intersection of Route 41 and Kelsey Road.

Sheffield Emergency Management Director Ed McCormick was on site Tuesday, and Berkshire News Network correspondent Meg Bennett caught up with him at the scene. McCormick told Bennett that passengers were uninjured.


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The state police said the neighborhood was evacuated as a precaution because there were chemicals on board the aircraft.

The people on board were part of cleaning crew headed back to Saratoga Spring, N.Y. after completing a job in Long Island, N.Y., according to a report from WNYT Channel 13.


 The area was cordoned off while a determination was made as to if it was safe for the Fire Department to go in to extinguish the fire.

The FAA says the plane is registered to North American Flight Services, based in Ballston Spa, N.Y.

The last air incident in South County was in March, when a helicopter being used to run transmission lines for Western Massachusetts Electric Co. came down on Tyringham Road. No one was injured and the FAA is investigating the incident.

Hear full details of Tuesday's single engine plane crash in the morning on WBEC AM and FM, WSBS, WUPE and WNAW.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Counter Sues Berkshire Concrete

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The dispute between Berkshire Concrete and the town has taken another turn as the town pursues a countersuit against the excavation company.
 
On April 13, Berkshire Concrete Corp., a subsidiary of Petricca Industries, launched legal action against the town, seeking damages, the overturning of the Planning Board's denial of its special permit, and additional proposed orders of a court. 
 
The town has responded with a countersuit of its own, seeking a preliminary injunction requiring Berkshire Concrete to fully restore Lot 105-16 and a permanent injunction mandating an effective dust mitigation plan. 
 
The suit also requests that Berkshire Concrete pay all fines assessed against them, along with the town’s legal costs and attorney's fees, and other relief deemed by the court. 
 
The claim explains the timeline of events dating back to 2024 when Berkshire Concrete started mining without town approval on parcel 105-16, clearing trees and vegetation that abuttors claimed acted as a natural barrier. 
 
The removal of this vegetation resulted in the creation of a corridor for wind to carry dust from the lot and onto residential properties in the abutting neighborhood, the suit claims. 
 
Almost a year ago, both the Select Board and Planning Board expressed that they wanted parcel No. 105-16 fully mitigated to abide by the town's bylaws.
 
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