Local News
David Kornreich and Andrew Harrell Killed After Small Plane Crashes Near Ithaca
ENFIELD, N.Y. — Two people were killed Sunday after a small aircraft crashed near North Applegate Road in Enfield, west of Ithaca, according to Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne.
The aircraft, identified as a 1977 Lake LA-4-200, had two people aboard when it went down. Sheriff Osborne initially reported that David Kornreich, 52, the owner of the plane, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second occupant, Andrew R. Harrell, 31, was transported to Cayuga Medical Center in critical condition.
Later Sunday afternoon, authorities confirmed that Harrell had also died from his injuries, bringing the death toll from the aircraft crash to two.
According to the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, the plane was cleared for takeoff from Ithaca Airport at approximately 11:24 a.m. The aircraft’s last contact with the airport control tower was reported at approximately 12:02 p.m.
A witness called 911 around 12:35 p.m. to report that the aircraft had gone down. The witness reportedly indicated that the plane appeared to be experiencing a mechanical problem before the crash. Investigators have not determined whether a mechanical failure caused the aircraft to go down.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the crash site shortly afterward. The Ithaca Fire Department and Trumansburg Fire Department were among the agencies sent to the area at approximately 12:47 p.m.
According to local emergency-response information, Guthrie Air was also dispatched, while the Mecklenburg Volunteer Fire Company established a landing zone at a nearby school to support the emergency response.
First responders located the aircraft and its occupants at the crash site. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while Harrell was initially transported to Cayuga Medical Center with critical injuries. He later succumbed to those injuries.
Multiple agencies assisted with the response, including the New York State Police, New York State Park Police, Enfield Fire & Rescue, Department of Emergency Response, Ithaca Fire Department, Ithaca Airport Fire Department and Trumansburg Fire Department.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Sheriff Osborne said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s final flight and crash.
Authorities have not released additional details regarding the suspected mechanical issue or the exact sequence of events before the plane went down.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials are expected to release additional information as investigators examine the aircraft, review flight data and determine what caused the fatal crash.
Local News
Jimmy Brooks Killed in Wrong-Way Tesla Crash on I-26 in Buncombe County, Driver Bradley Vance Charged
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Jimmy Lee Brooks, 42, of Leicester, North Carolina, died after a wrong-way Tesla crash involving three vehicles on Interstate 26 near Asheville on Thursday afternoon, October 22, 2026.
Several other people were injured in the collision, and the Tesla driver has been charged in connection with the fatal crash.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Bradley Vance Lanier, 54, of Taylors, South Carolina, was driving a Tesla westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-26 near Exit 37 when the vehicle struck a Honda SUV head-on before colliding with a Honda passenger car.
Brooks was a passenger in the Honda passenger car. He was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said troopers responded to the crash at approximately 2:30 p.m. Thursday near mile marker 37 on eastbound I-26.
According to the agency’s statement, the Tesla entered the interstate traveling west in the eastbound lanes near Exit 37, also associated with Long Shoals Road. The vehicle first struck a Honda SUV head-on and then collided with a Honda passenger car.
A trooper from a neighboring county arrived shortly after the collision and began providing assistance to a passenger inside the Honda passenger car.
The car’s driver and two passengers were transported to Mission Hospital with serious injuries. Brooks was among the passengers and later died at the hospital. Authorities said the conditions of the other occupants were not immediately known.
The driver of the Honda SUV was also taken to Mission Hospital with minor injuries and was later released.
Lanier, the driver of the Tesla, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital before being released, according to the Highway Patrol.
Troopers subsequently charged him with four offenses:
- Driving while impaired (DWI)
- Felony death by vehicle
- Felony serious injury
- Reckless driving
Following his release from the hospital, Lanier was taken to the Buncombe County Detention Facility, where he was being held on a $5 million secured bond, according to the agency’s statement.
The charges are allegations, and the case will proceed through the court system. The official statement does not establish a conviction.
Interstate 26 was closed for approximately two hours while troopers investigated the collision and documented the scene.
The investigation centers on the circumstances that led the Tesla to travel in the wrong direction on the eastbound side of the interstate and the subsequent collisions involving the two Honda vehicles.
Authorities have not released the current medical conditions of all the injured occupants.
The fatal crash claimed the life of Brooks, a Leicester resident, and left several other people requiring hospital treatment.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the collision. Further information about the case may be released as the investigation and legal proceedings continue.