COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A plane being operated by a student pilot crashed and slid off a runway at the Branch County Memorial Airport on Saturday afternoon.
All of the occupants escaped with minor lacerations. No one was transported for injuries.
Police, fire and rescue crews were dispatched to the airport at about 1:40 p.m.
Airport Manager Joe Best said the plane was a Rockwell Commander 114 single engine plane that is worth over $100,000.
He says pilot Patrick Murphy of White Pigeon lost control of the plane during take off as instructor Ed Shumway of Tekonsha used what’s called an engine out manuever as part of the training.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Department says the pilots were taking off on a short runway, climbed to 300 feet and simulated a “power failure“ and slight right turn. The plane “shook badly” and dropped after the pilot lost control.
After slamming into the ground, the plane slid for about 250 feet on its underside before coming to a stop. One of the wing tanks ruptured and spilled all of its fuel. The airport remained open as the plane wound up in the middle of a field on the airport’s south side.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were called in to investigate.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Department, the Coldwater Fire Department, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan D.N.R. were all at the scene.
