STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

NEWS RELEASE

AIRPLANE CRASH

 

CASE#: 26A5004061

RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Trooper Richard Berlandy

STATION: Derby                                         

CONTACT#: 802-334-8881

 

DATE/TIME: 07/20/2026 @ 0808 hours

TOWN: Morgan

LANDMARK: Lake Seymour

WEATHER: Clear

 

VEHICLE #1

OPERATOR: James Gregory

AGE: 66

SEAT BELT? Y

CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: East Burke, VT

 

VEHICLE YEAR: 2002

VEHICLE MAKE: Rans

VEHICLE MODEL: S6 Coyote II

DAMAGE TO VEHICLE #1: Totaled

INJURIES: None

 

SUMMARY OF CRASH:

 

At about 8:08 a.m. Monday, July 20, 2026, the Vermont State Police received a report that an airplane had crashed on Seymour Lake in Morgan, VT.  Troopers responded to the area along with members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Motor Vehicles, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Derby Line Fire Department, and Newport Ambulance Services.

 

Members of the Derby Line Fire Department and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department deployed boats, while members of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and DMV attempted to locate the plane from the shore.

 

Shortly after, the pilot, identified as 66-year-old James Gregory of East Burke, called the Vermont State Police and advised that local residents had responded to the crash in their personal boats, rescued him from the water, and brought him to their home. Gregory advised while taking off from Lake Seymour, a malfunction occurred causing the plane to stall and crash after becoming airborne. Gregory was the sole occupant of the airplane and was not injured. Investigation revealed the airplane, a 2002 Rans S6 Coyote II, sank into Lake Seymour.  The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation was notified of the incident.

 

The cause of the crash is still under investigation and will be taken over by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Further questions should be directed to the FAA.