Tragedy at Coney Island. On Saturday afternoon a small aircraft crashed on the beach, killing all four people aboard. Fortunately noone was on the beach at the time. If it happened one week later when the beach officially opens or if the weather was sunnier on Saturday, the tragedy would have been even more serious.

This afternoon I was at Coney Island working on the preparations for the annual Beach Opening ceremony. I stopped by the site of the crash and noticed that two metal pipes were tied together as a cross, and the makeshift cross was staked in the sand on the spot where the plane went down. A few feet away was a gathering of candles, flowers and teddy bears, in tribute to those lost.

Soon Coney Island will come alive again for the season. The beach will be filled with sunbathers, the ocean will be filled with frolicking children, the Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel will be operating and sounds of minor league baseball will emanate from KeySpan Park. But for now, the Coney Island is silent, except for the waves crashing against the shore, honoring the four who met their end on this famed beach.