New York plane crashes Conn. wedding

Partly sunny in the morning, pilots take warning, or so New York flyer Albert Sheehy from Crossriver, N.Y. learned this Saturday when his plane crashed down into Long Island Sound, making him a guest at a wedding reception taking place on shore.

"I like to enjoy living," Sheehy said.

He also enjoys a lobster roll on Block Island that he picks up on his flights to and from Danbury Airport.

But this leisurely daytrip turned dangerous when his single passenger plane's engine stopped.

"I lost all pressure. Suddenly there was a large bang and the propeller wasn't going around anymore," Sheehy said. "I was at about 4,000 and that means I have 4 or 5 minutes before I have to land somewhere."

So Dr. Sheehy chose Long Island Sound, about 100 yards from the beach in Westbrook and landed safely.

"As if landing in Long Island Sound wasn't bad enough, how about doing it in the middle of a wedding reception," Sheehy said.

"I was telling people, 'Well, we said it wouldn't be boring!'" Susan McCaulson, the bride, said.

Susan and Don McCaulson rode into their wedding ceremony on horseback then into their reception on a boat, but they and their guests didn't plan on a plane crashing the party.

"Susan is a director of a riding school and I'm a sailor so we wanted horses and boats, and we didn't figure on a plane," Don McCaulson, the groom, said.

"I mean maybe Don could pull some strings, but I didn't think he could quite have a plane land at the reception!" Maid of Honor, Sally Sanders, said.

"Not everybody has a wedding, has the news, a plane crash, a horseback riding lesson and a sea adventure all in the same day," Best Man, Jeff Meimke, said.

So while the Coast Guard and FAA tie the knot around Dr. Sheehy's plane to bring it to shore, the happy couple toasts to the fact everyone is okay.

Dr. Sheehy tells News Channel 8 that today's crash was ironic. He was suppose to attend a co-worker's wedding in New York today, but not being a big fan of them, opted to take his plane up instead.