Richard Rockefeller, a noted doctor and philanthropist, died Friday morning when a plane he was piloting crashed near Westchester County Airport, authorities said.
Mr. Rockefeller, a great-grandson of Standard Oil Company co-founder John D. Rockefeller, was the only person on board, authorities said. There were no other injuries.
The plane, bound for Portland, Maine, crashed shortly after taking off, at around 8:10 a.m., airport officials said.
Mr. Rockefeller, 65 years old, was an advisory trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. He taught medicine in Portland from 1982 to 2000, according to the fund’s website.
He served as the chairman of the board of advisors for Doctors Without Borders for 21 years, before stepping down in 2010. He helped set up the organization’s presence in the U.S. and helped it secure funding, the organization said.
He had field assignments with the group in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Mr. Rockefeller was in Westchester to celebrate the 99th birthday of his father, David Rockefeller, said family spokesman Fraser Seitel. He was flying to his home in Maine.
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