Wednesday, October 18, 2000
|
Wednesday, October 18, 2000 |
|
Man dies in ultra-light crash Tues. By JOHN MUNFORD
A man piloting an ultra-light aircraft died after his small craft crashed into the top of a pine tree on heavily wooded family land in western Tyrone midday Tuesday. Identification of the victim was withheld pending notification of next of kin, although some family members were present at the crash site during the rescue attempt. Details of the crash were sketchy at press time. The plane was hanging 40 feet off the ground from a pine tree off Laurelwood Drive, near the Coweta County line, said Captain Pete Nelms of the Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services. With few options, the decision was first made to cut the tree down to reach the pilot, Nelms said. That approach was abandoned as rescuers including an employee of a private tree service were able to scale the tree and reach the "unresponsive" pilot. The crash was reported to 911 at noon by a relative of the pilot who saw it disappear from the skyline and heard a noise. It took less than a half-hour to find the plane with assistance from a helicopter of Phoenix Air Care. Officers from the Tyrone Police Department and the Fayette County Sheriff's Department also aided in the search. An ultra-light aircraft normally doesn't require a Federal Aviation Administration-issued pilot's license. It typically uses a small motor and simple controls.
|
||