A pilot known for transporting rescued dogs to shelters and rescues died next to a gun in a plane crash in New York State’s Catskill Mountains on Sunday, authorities said.
The deceased was identified on Monday as Seuk Kim (49) of Springfield, Virginia. Kim was known for flying dogs who need shelter and care to accept buildings, as he did earlier this year with a dog rescued from a shipping container in Houston.
Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told The Associated Press that the airline has partnered with a nonprofit that enlists volunteer pilots to transport rescued animals to shelters, adoptions and foster care.
First responders – including sheriff’s deputies, state foresters, state police and local firefighters – descended on the scene of the accident in the town of Windham, New York, in the Catskills, following the accident at 6:10 pm on Sunday, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. he said in succession.
Seuk Kim will fly his small plane in February 2024.
A brief statement from the Federal Aviation Administration said the discovery of the crash site was made in Catskill State Park.
First responders found the crashed plane, Kim’s body, a dead dog, and one surviving animal: a Labrador mix suffering from two broken legs, the sheriff’s office said. The third dog was missing, he said.
The injured dog was taken by the nonprofit Higher Ground Rescue to an animal hospital, the sheriff’s office said. The lost dog was found and taken by Hyer Ground and Partners for Animal Welfare to an animal shelter, he said.
An autopsy will be performed on Kim’s body, the sheriff’s office said.
He was flying a Mooney M20J, a four-seat plane, from Maryland to Albany, New York, the office said. Albany is about 50 miles northeast of the crash site.
The National Weather Service reported light rain and a temperature of 39 degrees shortly before the crash, though it’s unclear if the weather had anything to do with the incident. Kusminsky told the AP that there was a foot of snow on the ground where the plane was found.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com