Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Former Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis, who played for the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, died after he was involved in a plane crash in Lake Placid, N.Y., officials announced Monday. He was 70.
The New York State Police said that Francis and Richard McSpadden, 63, were onboard a Cessna 177, which crashed Sunday afternoon into an embankment at the Lake Placid Airport. Officers responded shortly after 4 p.m. Francis and McSpadden were pronounced dead at the scene.
The airplane "crashed under unknown circumstances short of the runway" while attempting to land, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration.