Campus Alert Archive
Farmingdale

Two Long Island Aviation Students Go Down Over Pennsylvania: Farmingdale's 2012 Crash

NYotheradvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the night of May 9, 2012, a single-engine Mooney M20J carrying three SUNY Farmingdale aviation students hit trees on takeoff from Spring Hill Airport in Sterling Township, Pennsylvania, killing pilot Patrick Sheridan (34) and passenger Casey Falconer (19). A third student, Evan Kisseloff (21), survived. The students were not flying as part of a college program. SUNY Farmingdale Vice President Patrick Calabria issued a statement and flags were lowered to half-staff at the college and Republic Airport as the NTSB opened an investigation.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
2
Injured
1
Institution
Farmingdale State College, SUNY
Public Bachelors · NY
~9,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction153 chars
Our campus is in shock and we are all trying to come to grips with this tragedy. Our hearts are with the family and friends of the two students who died.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

This statement from VP Patrick Calabria was directly quoted by both CBS New York and NBC New York in their coverage of the crash; it represents the university's official public response
The three students were in Farmingdale's aviation program, which has existed since the 1960s and enrolls approximately 200 students; however, the aircraft was privately owned and the flight was not part of any college program or activity
Flags at both Farmingdale State College and Republic Airport (the college's aviation facility on Long Island) were lowered to half-staff the day after the crash
FOLLOW-UPPA System
Approximate reconstruction325 chars
We pause at the start of this commencement ceremony for a moment of silence in memory of Patrick Sheridan and Casey Falconer, aviation students from our college who were killed in a plane crash earlier this month. Their loss has deeply affected our campus community, and we hold them and their families in our thoughts today.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The commencement invocation, led by Brian Maher, Director of the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center, included a moment of silence for the two students; the Farmingdale Patch noted Evan Kisseloff (the survivor) graduated at this ceremony
Kisseloff's graduation at the same ceremony at which his classmates were memorialized was noted in subsequent Patch reporting as a bittersweet milestone
SUNY Farmingdale's aviation program includes both a pilot training track and an airport management track; the three students involved were enrolled in the program but the private flight was personal, not curricular
Context

Background

SUNY Farmingdale (Farmingdale State College) has operated one of New York's leading collegiate aviation programs since the 1960s, based at Republic Airport on Long Island. On the night of May 9, 2012, three students from the program -- Patrick Sheridan (34, a senior from Long Beach), Casey Falconer (19, a sophomore from New Hyde Park), and Evan Kisseloff (21, a senior from Oceanside) -- flew from Spring Hill Airport in Sterling Township, Pennsylvania, about 14 miles east of Scranton, in a single-engine Mooney M20J. The aircraft hit trees while attempting to take off and crashed into a wooded area near the end of the runway. Sheridan and Falconer were killed; Kisseloff survived. The FAA and NTSB opened investigations. The plane was not owned by the college and the flight was not a college activity. SUNY Farmingdale VP Patrick Calabria issued a brief statement the following day: 'Our campus is in shock and we are all trying to come to grips with this tragedy. Our hearts are with the family and friends of the two students who died.' Flags at both Farmingdale State and Republic Airport were lowered to half-staff. At the college's commencement ceremony held shortly after the crash, a moment of silence was observed for the two students. Kisseloff graduated at that same ceremony. The case illustrates the recurring challenge of university aviation programs: students who gain aeronautical skills in curricular settings take private flights that fall outside the institution's direct oversight but nonetheless reflect on the college's aviation culture.
Analysis

Key Findings

Two SUNY Farmingdale aviation students (Patrick Sheridan, 34; Casey Falconer, 19) killed when their Mooney M20J hit trees on takeoff from Spring Hill Airport, Sterling Township, PA on May 9, 2012
The flight was personal, not curricular; the aircraft was privately owned and not a college plane -- illustrating the institutional challenge of students who take private flights outside college supervision
VP Calabria's brief statement ('Our campus is in shock') was the primary institutional communication; flags at Farmingdale and Republic Airport were lowered to half-staff
Survivor Evan Kisseloff (21) graduated at the commencement ceremony held shortly after the crash, at which a moment of silence honored the two students killed
VP Calabria's statement is the one verbatim-confirmed text in this case; all other communications are reconstructed from news reporting
Outcome
Two killed (Patrick Sheridan, 34, Long Beach; Casey Falconer, 19, New Hyde Park). Evan Kisseloff, 21, of Oceanside, survived. The plane was not college-owned and the flight was not a college program activity. NTSB investigated. Flags at Farmingdale State and Republic Airport lowered to half-staff. A moment of silence held at commencement shortly after the crash.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    SUNY Students Die in Pennsylvania Plane Crash - NBC New York
    nbcnewyork.com
  2. News
    NTSB Investigating Small Plane Crash That Killed 2 SUNY Farmingdale Students - CBS New York
    cbsnews.com
  3. News
    Pennsylvania Plane Crash Kills Two Long Island Aviation Students, One Survives - NYCAviation
    nycaviation.com
  4. News
    Update: Plane Crash Survivor Graduates From Farmingdale State - Farmingdale Patch
    patch.com
Tags
aviationplane-crashaviation-programnew-yorkstudent-deathprivate-flightsunycommunity-collegerepublic-airportlong-island
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion