Plane crash in Rhinebeck claims pilot’s life

A tragic accident occurred Saturday afternoon during an air show at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum that features many aircraft from the pioneer era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, as well as several antique automobiles. America’s first flying antique aircraft museum, the museum at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, opened May 1 for the 2024 season and is open through October 31, with air shows on Saturdays and Sundays. Since opening in 1958, the facility’s staff has been responsible for education and entertainment for six decades.

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Earlier this year, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome held a unique raffle of a piece of a German Fokker Dr.1 triplane signed by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. The raffle was a fundraiser. The raffle took place at the annual Old Rhinebeck Aerodroem gala in May.

Tragedy at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome

The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome released a statement early Saturday evening regarding the accident that killed a longtime Aerodrome volunteer and board member.

On October 5th, during our Saturday air show, one of our aircraft crashed on the south end of the runway. The incident killed Brian Coughlin of Cazenovia, NY, a longtime Aerodrome volunteer and board member. The aircraft was a replica of a World War I Fokker D-VIII. Fire, EMS and law enforcement responded to the scene. We are waiting for your reports. The Federal Aviation Office was informed. We have no further information until their investigation is complete. We ask everyone to respect Brian’s memory and not speculate about his death.

-Old Rhinebeck airfield

A biography of Brian Coughlin from the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome website states that he grew up flying vintage airplanes. His father was an early restorer and replica builder in the central New York area. Brian has been involved in the airfield for most of his adult life, in many capacities, including as an air show pilot. He has restored several Fokker Triplane replicas, a Fokker DVIII replica and many other vintage flying machines. Recently he was instrumental in bringing the Bleriot XII, Hanriot, SPAD VII and the Fokker triplane back onto the flight line. He was a contractor by trade and oversaw the infrastructure projects at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.