WINDHAM — A pilot who was carrying three rescue dogs to Albany was killed Sunday when his single-engine plane crashed in a remote section of the Catskill Mountains outside Windham.

Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky said a preliminary investigation suggested Seuk Kim died in the initial crash and not from exposure to freezing temperatures after the plane went down.

The 49-year-old resident of Springfield, Va., was flying from Maryland to Albany when his plane went down at about 6:10 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Kusminsky said the plane crashed near the Escarpment Trail, a path that traverses the high peaks of the Windham-Blackhead Range.

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First responders reached the debris field, which was spread across both sides of the trail, on Sunday night.

Kim was transporting the three dogs as part of a Pilots N Paws rescue mission, according to a fellow pilot in the program. Kim volunteered his timeand resources to move dogs — often from “kill shelters” in southern states — to rescue organizations that could place them with new owners. Animal Shelter of the Schoharie Valley said Monday night that the dogs were being delivered to their nonprofit based in Howes Cave.

The pilot, a married father of three, used his plane not just to transport dogs but to also carry supplies to hurricane-ravaged portions of North Carolina, according to his Facebook page.

"As we grieve, we take solace in knowing that Seuk lived fully, loved deeply, and left a legacy of kindness and courage. He reminds us to embrace life with enthusiasm, to take bold leaps, and to always lend a hand to those in need," his cousin, Christine Kim, posted on a Facebook tribute.

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SFC Virginia, an animal rescue group based in Fredericksburg, Va., posted Monday that members of the group saw Kim before he left a local airport with the dogs — one of his "countless hours flying animals from shelters to rescues all across the East Coast," the rescue group posted on Facebook.

"We hope that you were greeted by thousands of wagging tails at the rainbow bridge, Seuk. The rescue community has lost an amazing one," SFC Virginia wrote.

Kusminsky said Monday afternoon that Kim’s remains were extricated from the crash site and were at a trailhead awaiting transport.

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The temperature in Windham fell below freezing the night of the crash, reaching 29 degrees in the town’s population center, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Rosemary Webb. The temperature was even lower at higher elevations, and there was 14 inches of snow at the peak of Windham Mountain, according to the Windham Mountain Club.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash of Kim’s Mooney M20J, a single-engine propeller plane with a 36-foot wingspan.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by several other agencies, including State Police, forest rangers and the Civil Air Patrol, the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

Dogs bound for Schoharie shelter

One dog was found dead at the crash site, but a lab mix puppy was found alive — an outcome that Kusminsky called “a miracle.” The puppy, who has two broken legs, was taken by Hyer Ground Rescue to the Capital District Veterinary Hospital in Latham. The third dog was found later in the day on Monday.

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Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley provided information on the dogs Monday night: The four month-old male lab mix is named Whiskey and will undergo surgeries this week at Pieper Memorial Veterinary Center in Middletown, Conn. The other surviving dog — a one and a half-year old male yorkie/terrier mix named Pluto — was being evaluated to determine the extent of his injuries. The third dog that died was a puppy named Lisa. The animal shelter said it will oversee the two surviving dogs’ recoveries, and will help them find homes when they're ready.

"Over the years, Seuk helped to save the lives of hundreds of animals who would have otherwise been euthanized due to overcrowding at animal shelters," the shelter's executive director, Maggie Pryor, said in a statement.

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Other plane crashes

Kim’s death is the latest in a string of plane crashes in the area.

On Oct. 5, Brian T. Coughlin, 60, of Cazenovia, died when an experimental amateur-built Fokker D-VIII replica crashed near the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Red Hook.

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The Aerodrome has an airfield and offers regular air shows of vintage planes. Coughlin was a longtime volunteer and board member.

Two planes collided at the Aerodrome earlier this year during a July 28 air show, according to News 12. One landed safely while the other crashed in a nearby area, with no one injured.

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A 71-year-old pilot from Cairo was unhurt when his seaplane crashed on July 25 into the Hudson River in Catskill. The single-engine seaplane caught a wing in the water, causing the nose of the plane to crash into the water near Dutchman’s Landing, Catskill police said.

Natalie Gillis, an adventurer from Calgary, Alberta, died June 17 when the twin-engine Piper PA 31 Navajo aircraft she was piloting crashed in Colonie less than two minutes after takeoff from Albany International Airport. The 34-year-old pilot was headed to Montreal when the plane came down.

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On June 30, five members of a Georgia family — including two children — died in a plane crash in the Delaware County town of Masonville.

The plane was returning from a baseball tournament in Cooperstown. The pilot had been warned of “moderate and heavy precipitation” minutes before the plane crashed in the Catskills, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

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