An heir to the famed Rockefeller family was killed in a single-engine plane crash on Friday just moments after he took off in wet, foggy conditions from Westchester County Airport, authorities said.
Maine doctor Richard Rockefeller, 64, had just celebrated the 99th birthday of his billionaire philanthropist dad, David — and was attempting to fly home to Maine at 8:08 a.m. when tragedy struck.
His Piper 46 Malibu Meridian slammed into tree tops and a horse farm about a half-mile from the end of the runway near SUNY Purchase, sending pieces of debris more than 100 feet in all directions.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” said family spokesman Fraser Seitel. “Richard was a wonderful cherished son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He was an experienced pilot.”
Rockefeller, who expected to land back in Portland, Maine around 9:25 a.m., nearly struck a home on Cottage Avenue with the 3,500 pound aircraft.
George Ventricelli, who owns the South Horse Stables, said the plane came within 50 feet of the house, but none of the residents or horses were hurt.
Investigators are looking at whether poor visibility, wind and morning mist played a role in the crash.
“It was very foggy out at the time,” said airport manager Peter Scherrer, who noted that there are no visibility restrictions with private planes as there are with commercial flights.
“The plane reached about 300 feet. He was on the radio the whole time. Then the plane twisted in and crashed,” he said.
Rockefeller never called in a mayday.
Although there were 122 gallons of fuel on board, the plane did not catch fire.
“The plane did hit several pine trees on the way down, and we are fortunate that there was no fire,” said Harrison Police Chief Anthony Marraccini.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene, as well as Federal Aviation Administration officials. Harrison and Westchester police are also probing the crash.
Rockefeller, who has many relatives in Westchester, often flew out of that airport. His Piper was manufactured in 2001, but the FAA couldn’t immediately say whether there were any maintenance issue.
His father, David, lives in Tarrytown and is worth $3 billion, according to Forbes. He is the only living grandchild of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller.
The family gathered at the compound Thursday night to celebrate the patriarch’s birthday.
“Yesterday was a nice day for the family, and it couldn’t be much worse for them today,” said Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.
Richard Rockefeller is an advisory trustee of the Rockefellers Brothers Fund — a social justice foundation that works in New York City, the Balkans, and China.
He worked as a physician in Portland for 18 years, and helped found the Doctors Without Borders chapter in the United States and gave them space at 30 Rockefeller Center.
He served on its advisory board until 2010.
“Richard gave so much of his life to support Doctors Without Borders,” said Dr. Deane Marchbein, president of Doctors Without Borders USA. “We are devastated by his loss.”
Rockefeller worked as a field doctor in Peru in the 1990s, and in northern Nigeria during a meningitis outbreak in 2009.
In recent years, he had been involved in national research on treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Seitel.
Rockefeller promoted the benefits of MDMA, better known as ecstacy, and psychotherapy to help people suffering from trauma.
The big-hearted doctor is survived by his wife Nancy, and two adult children Rebecca and Clayton.
Rockefeller’s first wife, Nancy Anderson, was comforting his current wife, Nancy King Rockefeller on Friday at the family’s home in Maine.
Anderson’s husband Dale Gowen, who has known Richard since the 1980s, told The Post the whole family was devastated.
“He should be remembered as somebody who really gave his all to other people,” he said. “He wasn’t just someone who was sailing around on a yacht.
“I’m just sitting here listening to sad music. He’s a great guy, we’re all mourning him.”
West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, a cousin of Richard, said in a statement, “He was a shining star of my generation.”
Additional reporting by Natasha Velez