Couple killed in Dartmouth plane crash known for philanthropy, pillars of the community

We are learning about the husband and wife who were killed in a Dartmouth plane crash Monday morning.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, III announced that Massachusetts State Police received 911 calls at approximately 8:15 a.m. indicating that a small aircraft had crashed on Route 195 West just before the Reed Road exit in Dartmouth.

 Upon arrival, first responders located a fixed wing single engine Socata TBM 700 that had crashed in the woodline of 195 West prior to Reed Road.  Parts of the aircraft were located in the woodline, and the fuselage was located in the median of the highway. The aircraft had taken off from the New Bedford Airport.

The two occupants of the plane 68-year-old Thomas Perkins and his wife, 66-year-old Agatha Perkins of Middletown, RI, were located with apparent injury in the fuselage and were pronounced deceased on scene. 

The couple was prominent in Rhode Island and South Coast communities often attending and organizing fundraisers to raise money for local causes and scholarships throughout the area.

Agatha, known as Aggie, was a certified personal trainer, Pilates and yoga instructor.

Thomas and Agatha’s brother Jerry Kirby were partners in Kirby Perkins Construction beginning in the late 90s. The company is known for historic building and restoration “from the Gilded Age Mansions of Newport to the Historic Plantations of Virginia. Kirby Perkins Construction is a member of the National Trust For Historic Preservation, The Preservation Society of Newport County, The Association for Preservation Technology, The Newport Historical Society and The American Institute of Conservators.”

Multiple reports say that the couple was on their way to Wisconsin before the crash.

Some lanes on I-195 have recently been opened and Massachusetts State Police ask the public to not take photos or videos either in motion or on the edge of the road.