What happened to Anthony Potts? Officials identify pilot killed in Havre de Grace plane crash

Anthony Potts, a 59-year-old, has been confirmed as the pilot and the only casualty of a plane crash that occurred in Havre de Grace on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Potts was identified by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. The crash occurred at around 7:30 pm on July 25, 2023, at a farm located in the 3600 block of Old Level Road. Volunteer firefighters from Level Volunteer Fire Company and other companies in the area rushed to the scene.

Officials have reported that no damage to life or property occurred as the plane crashed into an open field. Anthony Potts, however, was declared dead on the spot. The plane in which Anthony Potts crashed has been identified as a Piper PA-28 airplane.

The investigation into the crash is now being conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the crash, however, remains to be determined.

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Anthony Potts’s plane crashed into an area where such accidents are likely to occur

Neighbors in the area have reported their accounts of the plane crash that Anthony Potts was piloting as it occurred. Robert Tibb Jr., a neighborhood resident and owner of the farm adjacent to the crash site, in a statement to 2abc WMAR Baltimore, recounts his perspective on the incident as follows:

"I don't know who the person was, I did see the crash this morning, I went back to the neighbors and looked at it and the plane looked like it went right straight, there's no burn marks on the side of the ground, it didn't catch on fire or anything like that”

One witness, in conversation with 2abc WMAR Baltimore, reveals how she witnessed Robert Tibb’s wife being told about the crash. She said:

"She said some of the people from up in the village stopped by and said aren't you Mrs. Tibbs and she said yes and they said there's been an accident.”

William Hicks, another man from the neighborhood, who lives on the street where Anthony Potts crashed, reported that planes in the area tend to fly very low. He went on to add:

"It's something you don't want to see but like I say, with the percentage of the ones coming in and out, sooner or later it's going to happen”

Meanwhile, an investigator from NTSB arrived on the scene on Wednesday to begin the investigation into the crash of Anthony Pott's plane.

A spokesperson from NTSB has informed that the said investigator will require medical records and flight history of the pilot and maintenance records of the plane to aid in the investigation. The preliminary report into the investigation regarding Anthony Potts's may be ready as early as in 10 to 12 business days.