Small plane lands in farm field, flips over in Preble County

ajc.com

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A pilot from Dayton suffered minor injuries Tuesday night after a homebuilt plane with engine troubles landed in a farm field and flipped onto its top in Preble County.

A Vans RV-6 “nosed over” and crashed into a field due to engine issues, according a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration report.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the crash was near Oxford-Gettysburg Road south of U.S. 35 in Jackson Twp.

A resident in the 2600 block told 911 dispatchers around 9 p.m. a man was at their door, according to the Preble County Sheriff’s Office,

“I just had a young man come up to our house and say his plane just landed in our field and flipped over,” the 911 caller said. “He walked up here.”

The pilot also spoke to dispatchers and told them he attempted to land the plane on the roadway, according to dispatch records.

“I tried shooting for the road but I ran out of airspeed,” he said. “My engine went out and I had to land it.”

A preliminary investigation revealed the pilot, a 29-year-old Dayton man, was flying in the area when the plane started experiencing engine issues. While he was attempting to land in a farm field, the plane flipped and came to a stop on its top, according to the sheriff’s office.

The pilot, who was the only occupant of the plane, was able to free himself from the cockpit. He was taken to Reid Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The aircraft is a two-seat, single-engine low-wing homebuilt airplane sold in kit form by Van’s Aircraft. The RV-6 is a tail-wheel equipped version.

The crash remains under investigation.