Press release
A pilot from Wisconsin had an unexpected and bumpy ride through Crawford County Tuesday evening.
Troopers from the Bucyrus Highway Patrol Post are currently investigating a single engine, fixed-wing airplane crash. At approximately 5:49 p.m. the Bucyrus Post received a call of an aircraft on its top in a tilled field on Marion-Melmore Road between Benton Road and Brokensword Road.
Troopers determined that the pilot of the aircraft, William A. Blank, age 73 of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was travelling from Wisconsin to Mansfield Lahm Airport when the aircraft’s engine sustained a possible fuel starvation issue. The pilot attempted to restart the engine without success and was forced to make an off airport landing in a tilled field west of Marion-Melmore Road. The pilot was successful in the landing, however prior to the aircraft coming to a complete stop in the front of the aircraft nosedived due to striking an area of uneven terrain causing the aircraft to flip its top.
The pilot was secured in the cockpit by a five-point harness and did not sustain any injuries from the crash. The 2005 American Champion Super Decathlon single fixed wing aircraft sustained moderate damage to the propeller and wings. The FAA was contacted and the plane was removed from the scene by an aircraft recovery service.
The Highway Patrol was assisted on the scene by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the Sycamore Fire and EMS.