Safety & Health

Hero NY Firefighter who Saved 12 in 1963 Plane Crash Dies

June 29, 2020

Richard Ziegler, an airport mechanic and Spencerport volunteer firefighter, was thought to be the last surviving responder to a Mohawk Airlines flight that crashed on takeoff from Rochester Airport.

By News 10NBC

Source Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, N.Y.

Richard 'Dick' Ziegler, an airport mechanic and Spencerport volunteer firefighter, is said to have rescued a dozen people from Mohawk Airlines Flight 121, which crashed during takeoff from Rochester Airport in 1963. — Richard "Dick" Ziegler, an airport mechanic and Spencerport volunteer firefighter, is said to have rescued a dozen people from Mohawk Airlines Flight 121, which crashed during takeoff from Rochester Airport in 1963.

ROCHESTER, NY—A firefighter who responded to the Rochester Mohawk Airline crash in 1963 and is said to have rescued 12 people from the burning wreckage has died.

Richard "Dick" Ziegler passed away on Saturday surrounded by his wife and children. He was 83.

Ziegler is believed to be the last surviving responder to the Mohawk Airlines Flight 121 crash that occurred on July 2, 1963, according to IAFF Local 1636.

Ziegler was an airport mechanic and was cross-trained as a firefighter. He also served as a Spencerport volunteer firefighter since 1962.

IAFF Local 1636 said the plane crashed during takeoff from Rochester Airport en route to Newark International Airport. The crash killed seven people and injured 36.

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