Plane crashes in Raisinville Township
8/12/2012MONROE — An 84-year-old pilot from Ida, Mich., and his 20-year-old grandson from Monroe were treated after the small plane they were flying crashed in central Monroe County on Sunday evening.
Wilbert Matthes, owner and operator of the experimental plane, was attempting to land at a private airport at 5485 Saum Road in Raisinville Township and his co-pilot, Ian Zawacki, was filming the landing when the crash occurred about 8:30 p.m., according to the Monroe County sheriff’s office.
As the plane, a KitFox Series 7, approached the landing strip, its landing gear caught a power line spanning a corn field on the north side of the airfield, the sheriff’s office reported. That caused the plane to nose dive into the corn field.
The power line was tangled in the wreckage and led to an unknown number of power outages.
Both men suffered minor injuries and were taken to Mercy Memorial Hospital in Monroe as a precaution, according to the sheriff’s office.