Russ Francis, who played a total of eight seasons with the New England Patriots, died Sunday in a plane crash outside of Lake Placid, New York, the team confirmed Monday.
The 70-year-old Francis was a passenger on an aircraft that was piloted by Richard McSpadden, a former commander in the Air Force, according to the Lake Placid News. The outlet reports that the crash occurred around 4:09 p.m. on Sunday at the end of a runway at the Lake Placid Airport.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associated (AOPA) said in a statement that McFadden was in the pilot’s seat when the aircraft “experienced an emergency after takeoff.