Pilot known for animal rescue flights dies, along with one dog, in Catskills plane crash

A pilot known for transporting rescued dogs to shelter and care facilities died alongside a canine in a plane crash in New York state’s Catskill Mountains on Sunday, authorities said.

The deceased was identified Monday as Seuk Kim, 49, of Springfield, Virginia. Kim was known for flying dogs in need of shelter and care to accepting facilities, as he did earlier this year with a canine rescued from a shipping container in Houston.

Green County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told The Associated Press the flight was associated with a nonprofit that enlists volunteer pilots to transport rescued animals to shelter, placement and care facilities.

First responders — including sheriff’s deputies, state forest rangers, state police and local firefighters — descended on the crash site in the town of Windham, New York, in the Catskills, following the 6:10 p.m. crash on Sunday, the Green County Sheriff’s Office said in a series of statements.

A brief statement from the Federal Aviation Administration said the crash site discovery was made in Catskill State Park.

First responders found the downed plane, Kim’s body, that of a deceased dog, and one animal survivor: a Labrador mix suffering from two broken legs, the sheriff’s office said. A third dog was missing, it said.

The injured dog was taken by the Hyer Ground Rescue nonprofit to the a veterinary hospital, the sheriff’s office said. The missing dog was found and taken by Hyer Ground and Partners for Animal Welfare to an animal care facility, it said.

An autopsy will be conducted on Kim’s body, the sheriff’s office said.

He was flying a Mooney M20J, a propeller-driven four-seat aircraft, from Maryland to Albany, New York, the office said. Albany is roughly 50 miles north-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 not yet clear if weather had anything to do with the incident. Kusminsky told the AP there was a foot of snow on the ground where the plane was discovered.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.