Plane crash-lands near school, passengers walk away
Published: July 31, 2007
A single-engine airplane slipped under power lines and split in two when it struck a signpost while making an emergency landing on a school lawn near Woodstock, authorities said Monday.
Despite the violent crash-landing, the pilot and his passenger escaped unhurt — apparently because of where the F-1A AirCoupe struck a brick sign outside the Greenwood Elementary School, rescue workers said.
“Fortunately, it broke the airplane behind the passenger compartment, so they were able to walk away,” said Chief Ralph Webster of the Woodstock Fire Rescue District.
Pilot Thomas Chapman, 62, and his passenger, 29-year-old Roch Magelby-Lambert, were examined by paramedics at the scene, then released without requiring medical treatment, Webster said.
Chapman was attempting to return to nearby Galt Airport, apparently after experiencing engine problems, when he made the emergency landing on the lawn of the empty school.
Webster praised the pilot’s skill in bringing the plane down safely — and hailed his composure afterward.
“He flew, literally, between the power lines and the ground,” Webster said, describing Chapman as “very calm, collected” when the first rescue workers arrived.
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