A small plane carrying three people made an emergency landing on the state Thruway on Friday as an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived in Western New York to look into Thursday's fatal small plane crash. Last week, a small plane crashed on Interstate 684 in Westchester County, killing one person.

The NTSB, which this week released a preliminary investigation report on a plane crash that killed a pilot last month in Windham, is documenting the site and wreckage from Thursday's crash. It is investigating more than two dozen plane crashes across the state this year. At least seven crashes involving small airplanes were fatal.

The string of crashes is attracting the attention of one state lawmaker looking to reduce such incidents.

While the state cannot regulate safety measures related to general aviation – that’s left to the feds – Assemblywoman Amy Paulin of Westchester County believes there are common-sense steps the legislature can take to make the skies over the Empire State and the ground below safer.

“Why shouldn’t we take a step if we’re seeing crashes in New York?” Paulin said.

Should the assemblywoman have her way, the steps would include requiring aircraft owners to register their planes with the state’s Department of Transportation while providing proof of insurance.

“What the insurance companies is they have annual inspections,” she said.

Right now, at least 12 states require some amount of liability coverage to fly legally.

“The regulations on safety were higher because they were being mandated by the insurance companies in order for that insurance to be given,” Paulin said.

The idea, though, will likely see some pushback.

“The FAA has a very robust registration service, and every aircraft that is flying in the U.S. is registered by the FAA,” said Christopher Hewison, of Hewison Aviation.

Hewison is a flight instructor and for 10 years has been helping aspiring pilots earn their wings.

“People who want to be, who want to become pilots are pretty motivated to eventually do it, and I think it will be another fee that will have to be assessed,” he said.

Hewison said while regular inspections are critical, the human element involved in most crashes can’t be overlooked.

“The human element is a very large part in any aircraft accident. Unfortunately, a lot of them are labeled as pilots being responsible,” he said.

Another pitch from Paulin would trigger an in-depth study of flight operations in New York that would scrutinize crashes in hopes of identifying shortfalls with current safety guidelines.

“To see what was going wrong, why it was going wrong and just make some analysis so we know how to go forward,” Paulin said.

The assemblywoman said she's yet to hear from folks involved with aviation, commentary that will likely come as these proposals make their way through the legislative process in Albany next year.