Airfield Plane Crash Kills Seven

Among the seven killed when a private plane crashed at Massachusetts' Hanscom Field Saturday night was Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz. Just last week, Katz and co-owner H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest bought out their partners for $88 million to secure control of the media company that owns the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News, and Philly.com. The wife of New Jersey's borough commissioner, James P. Leeds Sr., was also one of the victims. Anne was 74 and reportedly joining Katz for an education-related function. Around 9:40 p.m., the aircraft, a Gulfstream IV, burst into flames when it ran off the runway as it attempted to depart and head towards Atlantic City in New Jersey. The plane reportedly exploded in a fireball surrounded by black smoke. Jared Patterson, who lives next door to the runway, said “I heard a big boom, and I thought at the time that someone was trying to break into my house because it shook it.”