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

Written by Dennis Romero
According to police, a pilot who frequently transports rescued pets to shelters and care centers perished in a plane crash in the Catskill Mountains of New York state on Sunday along with a dog.

Seuk Kim, 49, of Springfield, Virginia, was identified as the dead on Monday. As seen earlier this year with a puppy rescued from a shipping container in Houston, Kim was well-known for transporting canines in need of care and shelter to accepting facilities.

The flight was connected to a nonprofit organization that uses volunteer pilots to transport rescued animals to shelters, placement centers, and care facilities, Green County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky told The Associated Press.

Following the 6:10 p.m. incident on Sunday, the Green County Sheriff’s Office released a series of bulletins stating that first responders, including sheriff’s deputies, state forest rangers, state police, and local firefighters, had descended on the crash site in the Catskills town of Windham, New York.

The Federal Aviation Administration indicated in a brief statement that Catskill State Park was the location of the crash scene.

According to the sheriff’s office, first responders discovered the wrecked plane, Kim’s body, the body of a dead dog, and one animal survivor—a Labrador mix with two broken legs. It indicated there was a third dog missing.
According to the sheriff’s office, the Hyer Ground Rescue organization transported the injured dog to a veterinary hospital. According to the statement, Hyer Ground and Partners for Animal Welfare located the lost dog and transported it to an animal care center.

Kim’s body will undergo an autopsy, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to the office, he was transporting a four-seat propeller-driven Mooney M20J from Maryland to Albany, New York. The crash site is about 50 miles northeast of Albany.

Although it’s unclear if weather played a role in the disaster, the National Weather Service reported 39 degrees and light rain just before it happened. There was a foot of snow on the ground where the plane was found, Kusminsky told the AP.

The cause of the collision is being looked into by the National Transportation Safety Board.