Tue, Jan 27, 2004
Child Unhurt, But Spooked
Birthdays are normally a time of celebration, especially for
kids. However, one youngster ended his birthday on a sour note over
the weekend.
The child was invited to fly in an Aeronca (file photo) for his
seventh birthday but soon found himself fighting to get out of the
aircraft, after the plane clipped a power line and crashed onto an
icy lake near Pine Lake (MI) on Saturday. Fortunately, the child
was unhurt, but the pilot, Frank Blink, 56, of Allegan, was taken
to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo with non-life
threatening injuries.
Police reports indicate Blink was practicing touch-and-go
landings on the frozen Pine Lake about 1:45 p.m. when the plane
apparently struck a power line and nose-dived onto the ice. Police
said Gentry was taking the child for a "birthday ride" but did not
know Blink's relationship to the youngster, whose name was not
released.
Volunteers later hoisted the body of the yellow Aeronca onto a
trailer to be taken off the ice. A FAA representative was at the
scene to investigate the crash, police said.
FAA Preliminary Accident Report
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1087E
Make/Model: CH7A Description:
7ACA/ECA Champ, Citabria
Date: 01/24/2004 Time: 1849
Event Type: Incident Highest Injury:
Minor Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Minor
LOCATION
City: PINE
LAKE
State: MI Country: US
DESCRIPTION
ACFT CRASHED ON ICE ON PINE LAKE, MI. OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE
UNKNOWN. PINE LAKE, MI
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
1 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
1 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: METAR KAZO 241853Z 00000KT FEW110 M08/M18 A3017 RMK
A02
OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase:
Landing Operation: General
Aviation
Departed:
UNKN
Dep Date: Dep.
Time:
Destination:
UNKN
Flt Plan: NONE Wx
Briefing: N
Last Radio Cont: NONE Last Clearance:
NONE
FAA FSDO: GRAND RAPIDS, MI
(GL09)
Entry date: 01/26/2004
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