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It was an unspeakable tragedy when a small aircraft crashed into an Easton shopping plaza parking lot earlier this month.

Three people died. The pilot, Navy veteran Joseph Baker of Brookfield, Conn., was bringing Robert Gregory of Riverhead, N.Y., a cancer patient, and his wife, Donna, to Boston's Logan International Airport for treatment at the nearby Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The crash left the Gregorys' 4-year-old twins as orphans.

Just heartbreaking.

Baker and the Gregorys were taking part in what is called an Angel Flight, one of thousands nationwide in which pilots volunteer their time and small aircraft to fly patients who can't afford the transportation costs to medical care, or whose illnesses make conventional travel too difficult.

Angel Flights have had an impeccable safety record in their 25-year history. With more than 125,000 flights covering 50 million miles, there have never been any injuries or fatalities. Until this summer.

Three fatal crashes have occurred in three months: in Iowa City in June, in Tampa last month, and this month's tragedy in Easton, just over the Mansfield line.

Angel Flights are a blending of 20th century innovation (aviation), 21st century technology (the Internet) and good old-fashioned human generosity. A pilot needs to fly some place, for business or pleasure. A patient needs treatment at the same destination. Web sites such as www.angelflight.com, run by the non-profit organization of the same name, connect them.

Some people might have gotten the impression that Robert Gregory was flying to Dana-Farber for a one-time-only treatment. For many patients, however, these flights take place several times a month.

"(We take) people coming out of Maine that find they have to go to specialized care, in Boston for example," Angel Flight pilot Jim Cear told a New York TV station in the wake of this month's crash. "How does one get from northern Maine when they're told they have to be in Boston two, three, four times a week? It becomes a physical impossibility for them, if not a financial one."

There are benefits for Angel Flight pilots. Most airport operators offer a discount on fees and cut fuel prices for Angel Flight missions. And the pilot's expenses are tax-deductible.

For the pilots, it's also an opportunity to expose more people to the joys aviation give to them.

My father, a small aircraft pilot for more than 20 years and a lover of flight his entire life, provided me with a copy of the September issue of Plane & Pilot magazine. A feature story, no doubt written before any of the three crashes took place, focuses on these missions of mercy as author Amelia Reiheld tells about her experience as an Angel Flight pilot:

"The magic of flight is evident in broad smiles and eager questions. Adults are appreciative, often marveling at the technical miracles, the panoramic view and the beautiful cloudscape. Kids, however, make the best passengers.

"Take Bradley. At 16, Brad was tall and handsome as viewed from the left. The right side of his face, however, had been ravaged by an aggressive cancer. On our long evening flight, he confided his hopes that the latest experimental chemo would buy him time for a cure, and then he'd study aeronautical engineering. An Angel Flight veteran, Brad always look forward to his turn at the controls. His final flight was just a few months later, but the memory of his optimism and enthusiasm is with me still." What would be a real tragedy is if there is a movement to curb Angel Flights. Despite the three crashes, Angel Flight has no plans to ground anybody, saying in many cases the volunteer pilots are the last hope for life-saving medical care.

Angel Flight says qualification standards for its pilots are high: They must be instrument-trained, certified and approved by the FAA. They also must have up-to-date medical records and their planes are inspected annually. There are strict limits on weight to prevent the plane from being overtaxed.

So how do you explain three crashes in three months?

"I don't know what to say about it, other than it seems coincidental to me at the moment," Cear said.

It seems to me that Angel Flights have saved many more lives than they have taken. The recent crashes would be far more tragic if they put a halt to these missions of mercy.

MIKE KIRBY is editor of The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.