The plane apparently struck the ground in the section of the tree nursery and finally came to a halt in the middle of the field adjacent to the poultry farm. Shortly after the crash the plane was a mass of flames.

There were ninety-one (91) passengers on the plane, of whom twenty (20) were killed as a result of crash and explosion. This disaster required the implementation of the Disaster Control Plan of the institution as well as the mobilization of all resources then available on the Island.

Through the utilization of inmates and all departmental personnel available at the time, a rescue operation was put into effect for the relief of victims of the plane crash.

All survivors were taken from the immediate vicinity of the disaster and escorted to first aid stations at both the visiting room of the Penitentiary and the Rikers Island Hospital.

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With all available medical supplies and resources, first aid and emergency treatment were given to all the survivors until the arrival of disaster units from the New York City Department of Hospitals.

On or about 11 p.m. of that day, all of the survivors were transferred to the New York City mainland where they were in turn sent to various hospitals in the city.

There is no question that collectively all of the departmental personnel and inmates who were drafted for rescue operations did a remarkable job which resulted in minimizing the loss of life and relieving the sufferings of the survivors.