The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1030 Eastern time during an apparent forced landing in a pond shortly after takeoff. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Earlier, a witness helped the pilot hand-prop the accident airplane. Prior to engine start, the pilot stated he intended a local flight lasting about 45 minutes. The takeoff appeared “a little wobbly, but quite normal considering the breezy conditions.” Subsequently, the pilots friends and family notified local authorities he was missing. The next day, the airplane was found in a pond about 100 yards off the departure end of the runway. The airplane was recovered from the pond; one propeller blade was intact, the other was fractured. The fuel tank was full of fuel.
March 5, 2010, Savannah, Ga., Luscombe 8A
The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1030 Eastern time during an apparent forced landing in a pond shortly after takeoff. The solo commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.
Key Takeaways:
- A commercial pilot was fatally injured when his airplane made an apparent forced landing in a pond shortly after takeoff, resulting in substantial damage.
- The pilot had intended a local flight after hand-propping the engine, and witnesses described the takeoff as "wobbly but normal" given breezy conditions.
- The airplane was discovered the following day in a pond near the runway with a fractured propeller blade, despite its fuel tank being full.
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