According to family members, former Pro Bowl tight end Russ Francis his away in an aircraft crash on Sunday in Lake Placid, New York. Francis was seventy.
According to an NTSB representative, Francis and Richard McSpadden, a former leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, slid sharply to the left after takeoff from Lake Placid Airport before crashing. It was unclear right first if Francis or McSpadden, 63, was in control of the aircraft.
In the first round of the 1975 draft, the New England Patriots selected Francis. He played for the squad in three Pro Bowls.
The former New England Patriots tight end Russ Francis passed away suddenly and tragically, the Patriots said in a statement posted to social media. We offer our condolences to Francis’ family and friends.
Francis pursued his love of aviation after leaving the football field and most recently acquired Lake Placid Airways. According to the Boston Globe, he had a license to operate single- and multi-engine aircraft as well as helicopters, according to FAA data.
On Sunday, Francis’ brother Ed Francis posted on Facebook that his older brother Russ Francis had recently passed away in an aviation accident in Lake Placid, New York. “Flying was the lifelong love of my brother, and it was probably an appropriate way for him to depart. Godspeed, my big brother.