Tuesday, March 24, 2015

CESSNA PLANE CRASHES IN MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN. CAUSE UNDER INVESTIGATION. ELDERLY PILOT CLAIMS MECHANICAL PROBLEM








MARCH 24, 2015

MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

The 66-year-old pilot of a crashed Cessna 150 told police that mechanical issues caused the plane to go down near Dalton Airport Tuesday, March 24.
Emergency crews were dispatched shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, for a report of a plane down near Sorrento's Food and Spirits, 6395 W. Pierson Road, by Dalton Airport.

The pilot was conscious and alert when crews arrived, and was able to provide police with a narrative of the incident said Mt. Morris Township police Chief Terence Green.

The plane was about 400 feet in the air and about 300 yards from the Dalton Airport where it took off when the pilot said mechanical issues became apparent, police said.

The nature and the cause of the mechanical issues is not known at this time.
As the plane started going down, police said the pilot managed to steer into a tree line surrounding a pond on the north side of Pierson Road, behind Health Mart Pharmacy.

The plane was totaled in the crash, and the pilot suffered minor injuries, including a laceration to the forehead, Green said.

"He is very lucky," Green said. "I think it was luck combined with his flying experience that saved his life."

As of about noon, the Mt. Morris Township Fire Department was working to clear fuel from the crash site.

A trail leading to the crash site was taped off as police waited for Federal Aviation Administration investigators to arrive on scene.

The Michigan State Police is heading the investigation. No further details have been released.


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MT. MORRIS TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

Authorities are investigating after a small plane crashed near an airport in Mt. Morris Township.

Emergency crews were dispatched shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, for a report of a plane down near Sorrento's Food and Spirits, 6395 W. Pierson Road, by Dalton Airport.

Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said his crews responded to the scene after the report of the crash and found who they believed to be the plane's pilot walking around with a cut on his head.

Pickell said it is believed the plane crashed after takeoff when it clipped trees in the area.

No other information was immediately available. The incident remains under investigation.
Source: http://www.mlive.com