Names released after Lowville plane crash

April 10--LOWVILLE -- Officials have released the names of the three individuals who were in a small plane crash here on Sunday.

Patrice Makinen, 47, flew the aircraft; Julie Charlebois and the couple's five-month-old child were the two passengers. The family is from Quebec. The family had departed from Georgia and their last stop had been in Pennsylvania to refuel. They were on their way to Massena for another refueling.

The aircraft crashed near the corner of Willow Grove and Number Three roads Sunday afternoon.

"They realized something was wrong with their flight when they came out of a patch of clouds," John O'Brien, owner of the land where the plane came down, said. "My understanding is that the husband pulled for the parachute and cut the engine." The emergency landing was lucky. The plane landed upright in the O'Brien's field.

The plane was empty when the O'Briens reached it. He learned later that after the plane parachuted to the ground and the three individuals walked to the nearest road.

A passerby driving down Willow Grove Road stopped to help them, he said. Emergency services arrived and though no one was injured, the family was taken to Lewis County General Hospital for evaluation.

Due to strong winds, the parachute, still attached to the plane, turned the wreckage over, Mr. O'Brien said. Lewis County Sheriff Michael P. Carpinelli said that clearing of the site will begin as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration and insurance companies finish with the case.

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