Caledonia pilot injured in plane crash still hospitalized

   Forty-seven year old Davy Merritt of Grand Circle, Caledonia, continues to be hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the trauma unit at Strong Hospital. Merritt was critically injured on June 1 when the Cessna plane he was navigating crashed near the Town of Sweden near Ledgedale Airpark. Merritt was instructing a flight lesson to one of his students onboard the Cessna when the accident occurred. The young man was also injured and hospitalized at Strong but with less severe injuries.

   Merritt suffered numerous broken bones in his face, ribs, sternum, arm and legs and was likely to undergo a series of surgeries beginning this week. Family members say he didn’t suffer any internal injuries but add that his recovery will be slow due to the number of broken bones he incurred in the plane crash.

   Merritt, an experienced pilot for more than 20 years, worked as a commercial airline pilot before realizing his dream of operating a flight school, which he opened two years ago. He loved flying and loved the opportunity share his passion for aviation with young people.

   The details of the accident are still under investigation.

 

Davy Merritt of Caledonia loved sharing his passion for aviation with young people so he opened a flight school. This photo of Merritt and one of his students was taken in January 2008.

 

Caledonia pilot critically injured in plane crash

   Davy Merritt of Caledonia and his flight student, Benjamin Bruce of Gates, were critically injured Sunday, June 1 when the Cessna airplane they were flying crashed near Ledgedale Airpark in Sweden, NY. Merritt was airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital and was listed in guarded condition in the 24 hours after the crash. Bruce was transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital and was also listed in guarded condition.

   The 47-year old Merritt owns and operates Merritt Aire, LLC, a flight school operating out of Ledgedale Airpark in Brockport. The two men were flying back to Ledgedale from Batavia when their plane went down about one mile from their destination and crashed near a Sweden farm. Initial reports could not confirm who was piloting the plane, Merritt or Bruce.

   Merritt is an experienced commercial pilot and a certified flight instructor with 17,000 hours of logged flight time. He opened the flight school two years ago at Ledgedale Airpark.

   The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.