Woman Injured When Taxiing Aircraft Collides With Gate

By Andrew Gorosko

A 26-year-old Waterbury woman, who was traveling in a powered-parachute aircraft that was taxiing down a paved walking trail at Fairfield Hills about 10 am on Good Friday, April 2, apparently lost control of the vehicle and then collided with a massive metal gate, resulting in her becoming trapped between the aircraft and the gate.

Firefighters from the Newtown Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook volunteer fire companies responded to the scene to free the seriously injured Lisa Capitani from the wreckage, after which she was transported by ambulance to Danbury Hospital for treatment of multiple injuries.

Ms Capitani was listed in fair condition midday on Wednesday, April 7, in Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she had been transferred from Danbury Hospital on April 2. Ms Capitani incidentally is employed as a trauma nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police said Ms Capitani received head, face, and leg injuries in the crash.

Ben Kugielsky had been flying the powered-parachute aircraft at Fairfield Hills before the accident occurred, according to Anne Kugielsky, who is Ben’s mother.

Ms Kugielsky explained that Ms Capitani was later taxiing the aircraft when the vehicle apparently went out-of-control for some reason when traveling downhill on a paved walking trail before crashing head-on into the gate near the turnaround circle for Keating Farms Avenue.

Newtown Hook & Ladder Fire Chief Jason Rivera explained that firefighters extricated Ms Capitani from the wreckage. The victim’s legs were initially pinned beneath the gate, he said.

Chief Rivera termed the incident an unusual accident.

Town police patrol officers and detectives responded to the accident to investigate. The incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its review, after which an FAA official went to the scene. On assessing the case, the FAA official determined that no further FAA investigation was necessary, police said.

Police said they have completed their investigation into the accident and have determined that no criminal activity occurred. Officer Jeff Silver was the police investigator.

In such an aircraft, a rectilinear parachute serves as an airfoil. The vehicle is powered by an small engine that spins a rear-mounted propeller. Police termed the aircraft an “experimental flying machine.”

Amy Mangold, the director of Newtown Parks & Recreation, said this week, “We don’t want something like this [accident] to happen again.” The walking trails at Fairfield Hills are designated for pedestrian use, not for use by such aircraft, she said.

“It could have been much worse … I’m just thankful no one else was injured,” she said, adding that it was unfortunate that Ms Capitani was injured in the mishap.

Ms Mangold said she expects that Parks and Recreation Commission members would address the issues posed by the use of such aircraft after the matter is taken up by the Fairfield Hills Authority (FHA).

Police Chief Michael Kehoe said he expects the FHA would discuss the use of such aircraft at Fairfield Hills. “It’s something the town has to look at,” he said.

There were people walking on the grounds at Fairfield Hills on the Good Friday holiday when the accident occurred, the police chief said, noting the possibility that they could have been injured in such an incident.