Gift for Mom Recovered from Henningsgaard Plane Crash

A tea set that 17-year-old Max Henningsgaard bought for his mom, Susan Sullivan, was recovered from the wreckage of the fatal plane crash that killed him, his father, Bill Henningsgaard, and two children who were in a home on the ground, according to the Associated Press.

East Haven officials said Max had bought the set for his mother last week and that most of the pieces were intact, according to a story by the Associated Press.

"That's a remembrance of a sad day, but a loving son," East Haven Deputy Police Chief John Mannion told a reporter, according to the story. Authorities plan to send the tea set back to the family's home in Medina.

Max and Bill Henningsgaard, the pilot, were on a tour of East Coast colleges in their Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B. Last Friday, the plane took off from Teterboro, New Jersey and was enroute to Tweed New Haven Airport, when the small plane crashed into two homes on the ground in East Haven, CT.

Two children, Sade Brantley, 13 and Madisyn Mitchell, 1, identified by the New Haven Register, were in their home and died when the plane crashed. Their mother, Joann Mitchell, escaped the home. East Haven Patch has been reporting on the crash.

According to a Facebook post by Bellevue group Youth Eastside Services, a fund has been created to support Joann Mitchell and her family: 

Through the SVP Blog we learned that gifts may be made by sending checks payable to “East Haven United” -- East Haven United c/o P.O. Box 120085, East Haven, CT 06512.

Bill Henningsgaard was a longtime philanthropist after his retirement from Microsoft, and those involved in his latest project, Eastside Pathways, told Patch that they hope to continue the group's work on education issues. The group was formed to coordinate efforts to bridge the achievement gap with local nonprofits and government agencies.

Max and Bill Henningsgaard's memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way NE, according to Eastside Pathways. The service will be open to the public.