番茄社区

A New York ob/gyn who has been accused of "fertility fraud" died in a home-built plane crash last weekend, according to reports.

Morris Wortman, MD, 72, was a passenger in a single-engine, fixed-wing experimental aircraft that broke apart during the flight and crashed in a pasture in upstate New York on Sunday. The pilot, Earl Luce Jr., 70, also died, according to the Orleans County Sheriff's Office.

A preliminary investigation found that the "wings of the aircraft became detached from the fuselage and fell to the ground in an orchard," according to a from the sheriff's office. The fuselage continued west for another 1,000 to 1,500 yards before crashing.

According to the AP, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the aircraft as a Wittman W-5 Buttercup, which was designed by Steve Wittman in 1938. Luce developed a replica Buttercup design, for which he that also makes plans available for others to build.

Wortman was by Morgan Hellquist, who hadn't known that Wortman was her biological father when he was her gynecologist in Rochester, New York.

Since New York doesn't have "fertility fraud" laws, , Hellquist sued for battery and emotional distress for knowingly treating her -- his daughter -- as his patient.

The lawsuit alleged that Wortman used his own sperm, even though he told Hellquist's mother he was using donor sperm from a medical student.

Hellquist wasn't the only case: at least 10 half-siblings learned of each other through ancestry research efforts of Hellquist and her half-brother David Berry, .

Arielle Wortman is Morris Wortman's daughter from his first marriage. She told the Times that she was "heartbroken that my father betrayed the trust of the patients and families under his care."

Wortman didn't comment when the suit was filed, according to the AP. The civil case is pending in Monroe County Court in New York. The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration will continue to investigate the crash.

Comment