Super Bowl-Winning NFL Player Among 2 Dead in Crash at New York Airport

Two people died Sunday after a plane crashed at the Lake Placid Airport in upstate New York, including a former NFL player, according to a local media report.

The small private plane crashed around 4:10 p.m. toward the end of a runway, according to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. The airport subsequently closed to the public around 5 p.m. as emergency workers attempted to remove the plane from a gully where it landed.

The two victims were identified as former NFL tight end Russ Francis, 70, and Richard McSpadden, the senior vice president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Ed Francis reacted to his brother's death in a Facebook post: “Needless to say,  my family and I are completely flattened.  Flying was my brother's lifelong passion, and perhaps a fitting way for him to go. God speed to you my big brother!”

The AOPA said in a statement that the plane experienced an emergency after takeoff and “failed to make the runway” as Francis and McSpadden attempted to return to the airport.

“Richard was a very accomplished pilot, including serving as commander of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during his military career, and a trusted colleague, friend, son, husband, and father. … Our thoughts are with Richard’s family at this time,” the AOPA said in its statement.

McSpadden is survived by his wife, Judy, son Grant, and daughter Annabel.

Francis was a Super Bowl-winning tight end who played for 13 seasons in the NFL in the '70s and '80s. He played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. He got his Super Bowl Ring in the 49ers' win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.

Former 49ers teammate Jesse Sapolu said he was saddened by the news.

“Rip big bro,” Sapolu said in an X post.

The New York State Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Traffic Safety Board are currently investigating the crash.