Plane crashes in Franklin Co.

May 11, 1999|By DAVE McMILLION

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A small airplane went down in an open field, clipped a tree and lost its left wing before landing upside down just north of the Chambersburg Mall Tuesday evening, according to a fire official.

The pilot walked away uninjured and the co-pilot escaped with a small scrape and a bruise to the head, said Bobby Albrecht, deputy chief of the Fayetteville Fire Department.

Albrecht described the two as "very lucky."

The Piper Colt single-engine plane lost power shortly after it took off from a private airstrip about 8 p.m., Albrecht said.

The plane clipped some trees and bounced once in an open field, he said. The plane then gained altitude again, but not enough to clear a 12-foot embankment.

The plane hit another tree, tearing off its left wing, and flipped upside down in a field, Albrecht said. The plane came to rest near the 4500 block of Old Scotland Road.

It is unclear what caused the plane to lose power, said Albrecht.

Neither Albrecht nor Pennsylvania State Police would not release the names of the two people riding in the airplane.

Troopers were expected to be stationed at the crash scene through the night until the Federal Avaiation Administration could arrive to begin its investigation, said Albrecht.

State Police said they may be able to identify the two people today after the FAA arrives.

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