Federal transportation officials are now handling the investigation into the crash of a rare, single-engine airplane in Endicott and the death of the pilot.

Photo: Roger Neel/WNBF News
Photo: Roger Neel/WNBF News
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Endicott Police say 77-year old Russ Darrow of Brackney, Pennsylvania died June 17 as his Trella T-21 aircraft crashed on railroad property next to Tri-Cities Airport.

An internet search found the Trella had been described as a one-of-a-kind airplane that was moved in pieces in 2014 to Endicott for restoration.

According to a blog posted by Bubba-J’s Aviation in December of 2014, Darrow had recently purchased the metal, “two-piece” airplane with no flaps that required a total restoration.  There were no follow-up blogs on the progress of the work on the plane, when it was completed and certified for flight. A Youtube photo dated May 1, 2018 appears to be shot from the plane flying over State Route 17.

Officials are expected to be looking into the condition of the aircraft as well as the health of the pilot over the next several weeks as the investigation continues.

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