His family says it is an unexpected tragic accident. A 66-year-old Fairport man was killed after his glider plane crashed in a field near the Dansville Airport this weekend.
James Rizzo’s family says he has years of experience and this accident has left them devastated. The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Rizzo was alone at the time of the crash.
Rizzo’s sister was too upset to go on camera. She says he leaves behind a son and daughter and that taking the glider up and soaring was her brother’s favorite pass time.
His first solo flight was at 13-years-old. She says he would wake up early in the morning just to be able to fit it in his busy schedule. The fact Rizzo was so experienced with his favorite hobby makes this that much harder to understand for those who were close to him.
Martin Philippone works across the hall from James Rizzo’s law office on East Main Street in Rochester. Philippone says he’s known Rizzo since he was a little boy.
Philippone said, “He was a very kind generous person. He had a lot of patience with his clients. He was very giving he did a lot of work with the needy.”
Rizzo defended Eddie Palmer, one of the men who broke out of the Monroe County Jail in March 2011.
Philippone says besides his work as a lawyer, Rizzo was also known for his love for flying. Rizzo was a member of the Finger Lakes Soaring Club and even was an instructor there. Family and friends say with all of his experience in the air this crash came as a total shock.
Philippone said, “He was still relatively young and for all the years he's been flying, you know, it was really quite a surprise.”
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, along with the FAA and the NTSB, are investigating the crash. News10NBC spoke with the sheriff’s office Monday afternoon and they had no update on a cause of the crash.
Rizzo’s sister says they are planning on having a memorial service, but are still working on the details of that.
— Courtesy of News10NBC
His family says it is an unexpected tragic accident. A 66-year-old Fairport man was killed after his glider plane crashed in a field near the Dansville Airport this weekend.
James Rizzo’s family says he has years of experience and this accident has left them devastated. The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Rizzo was alone at the time of the crash.
Rizzo’s sister was too upset to go on camera. She says he leaves behind a son and daughter and that taking the glider up and soaring was her brother’s favorite pass time.
His first solo flight was at 13-years-old. She says he would wake up early in the morning just to be able to fit it in his busy schedule. The fact Rizzo was so experienced with his favorite hobby makes this that much harder to understand for those who were close to him.
Martin Philippone works across the hall from James Rizzo’s law office on East Main Street in Rochester. Philippone says he’s known Rizzo since he was a little boy.
Philippone said, “He was a very kind generous person. He had a lot of patience with his clients. He was very giving he did a lot of work with the needy.”
Rizzo defended Eddie Palmer, one of the men who broke out of the Monroe County Jail in March 2011.
Philippone says besides his work as a lawyer, Rizzo was also known for his love for flying. Rizzo was a member of the Finger Lakes Soaring Club and even was an instructor there. Family and friends say with all of his experience in the air this crash came as a total shock.
Philippone said, “He was still relatively young and for all the years he's been flying, you know, it was really quite a surprise.”
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, along with the FAA and the NTSB, are investigating the crash. News10NBC spoke with the sheriff’s office Monday afternoon and they had no update on a cause of the crash.
Rizzo’s sister says they are planning on having a memorial service, but are still working on the details of that.
— Courtesy of News10NBC
