Ex-Microsoft Executive Bill Henningsgaard, Son Killed In Plane Crash
Bill Henningsgaard, an ex-Microsoft vice president and the co-founder of education group Eastside Pathways, and his son were killed in a small plane Friday morning that crashed into two homes in East Haven, CT.
According to CBS New York, National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Robert Gretz said there were casualty reports of two or three people in the plane and two or three on the ground.
The father and son duo left the West Coast on Monday to tour colleges on the East Coast and New Haven was on itinerary. He was flying out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and tried to land at Tweed-New Haven Airport but was unable to for unknown reasons, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane was attempting a second landing when it crashed into two homes in East Haven at 11:25 a.m., engulfing both houses in fire.
Bill Henningsgaard was the son of former Astoria Mayor Edith Henningsgaard-Miller and brother of City Attorney Blair Henningsgaard.
Blair Henningsgaard, the victim’s brother, said the 54-year-old retired from Microsoft years ago and dedicated his life to helping underprivileged youth through Eastside Pathways, a non-for-profit organization he had set up.
Seattle-based non-profit organization Social Venture Partners confirmed the death of board member Mr Bill Henningsgaard in a tribute on its website.
‘There are hundreds of people that have a story about Bill Henningsgaard- when he went the extra mile, when he knew just the right thing to say, how he would never give up,’ SVP said in a statement. ‘He was truly all-in for this community, heart, mind and soul.’
