Former HGAR President and Wife Recovering from Harrowing International Flight

WHITE PLAINS—Former President of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors Drew Kessler and his wife Vicki are continuing their recovery after suffering serious injuries aboard a Singapore Airlines flight on May 21 hit by severe turbulence that caused the airliner to plummet thousands of feet. The incident required the Boeing 777-300ER flight from London to Singapore to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kessler, who served as HGAR President in 2015, was traveling to the Rotary International Convention in Singapore (May 25-29), accompanied by his wife Vicki and their two sons Jackson and Brandon. Hours after the incident, Kessler shared via social media that that plane dropped approximately 6,000 feet in seconds. One passenger, a 73-year-old British man, died from what was a suspected heart attack, according to a BBC report.

Kessler, who is Senior Vice President of the Commercial Real Estate division at M&T Bank, suffered a broken neck, while Vicki sustained a broken back. Both injuries required surgeries and hospital stays overseas and in Sarasota, FL. A longtime Rotarian, Kessler currently serves as a 2022-24 Rotary International Director and is a member of The Rotary Club of North Rockland, New York. Despite his injuries, Drew and his sons did participate in the Rotary International Convention proceedings.

Since the incident, Kessler, who had no comment for this story, provided periodic updates via social media on his and his wife’s recoveries. On May 31, he chronicled the more than 30-hour plane trip from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand to New Jersey and then Florida so that Drew and Vicki could continue their recovery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. 

His latest posting via Facebook on June 8 noted they had successfully returned home to Hopewell Junction on June 5 and were “embracing our new normal.” Several days later, Drew and Vicki ventured out to watch Jackson on the soccer field and then Brandon on a local baseball diamond.

He concluded his Facebook post, stating: “It is a gorgeous day and we are enjoying our new normal for all that it has to offer. I will continue to express our gratitude for all of the well wishes we have received. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.”

Richard Haggerty, who at the time of Kessler’s tenure as HGAR President in 2025, was the CEO of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, heard about the Kessler’s harrowing experience and was pleased to learn the family is back home and recovering. “Thank goodness Drew and his wife Vicki and his family are OK. For those that may not know, Drew was one of the driving forces behind the merger that created the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (in 2012),” Haggerty, who is the Chief Executive Officer of OneKeyMLS, said.

In addition to his service to the Rotary, Kessler also served as president of the Rockland County Board of Realtors and a director for both the New York State Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. While At HGAR, he launched the HG Realtor Foundation. A passionate fundraiser, Kessler has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for organizations including The Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity March of Dimes and Feeding Westchester.