December 20, Woodbury, Ct. / Piper Saratoga

At 2105 eastern time, a Piper PA-32R-301T crashed shortly after the pilot reported an in-flight fire while in cruise flight. The pilot and passenger were killed. The airplane was cruising from Rutland, Vt., to Farmingdale, N.Y., when the pilot reported the fire. The controller vectored the pilot toward Waterbury-Oxford Airport. It was five miles out descending out of 5,500 feet. The approach controller cleared it to land on any runway. The pilot entered a close-in downwind for runway 36 and the tower controller noted the engine compartment engulfed in flames. Witnesses on the ground also reported flames coming from the airplane.