Plane Descended Onto Residential Street

The pilot and passenger onboard a Cessna P210 Centurion suffered only minor injuries when their aircraft landed on a neighborhood street near Georgetown Municipal Airport (GTU) in Texas Sunday evening.

KVUE-33 in Austin reports the high performance single-engine aircraft was on approach to land at GTU at 6:45 pm Sunday, when the aircraft landed short on the street. The high-wing aircraft impacted a row of trees, and skidded on its belly to a stop on the street, damaging the propeller and breaking off a section of its wing.

Pilot Clesto Doyle Leslie, 72, and 48-year-old passenger walked away from the wreckage. Leslie told investigators the aircraft suffered a loss of power while on approach to the runway.

A small grass fire ignited near the wreckage, fueled by spilled avgas. It was quickly extinguished by neighbors.

"When you're sitting in your backyard and you see a plume of smoke go up and you realize there was a plane crash almost in your front yard, not even 100 yards away, it's really surreal," said neighbor David McGinnis.

KVUE note FAA records show seven aircraft accidents in and around Georgetown since 2004, including the fatal downing of a Cessna 182 in March 2006. Two persons onboard were killed and two others critically injured when that heavily-loaded aircraft stalled on climbout from GTU.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 210BF        Make/Model: C210      Description: 210, T210, (Turbo)Centurion
  Date: 03/29/2009     Time: 2347

  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: GEORGETOWN   State: TX   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY, GEORGETOWN, TX

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: SPECI 00107 150/10 10 CLR 22/M01 A2984

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Approach      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: SAN ANTONIO, TX  (SW17)               Entry date: 03/30/2009

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov