[Fair use for education and research purpose only]

Title: Crash at Meadows starts fire in plane

Filed: 03/30/2000

By STEVE E. SWENSON Californian staff writer e-mail: sswenson@bakersfield.com

A single-engine Glasair 3 kit-built aircraft crashed on takeoff Thursday at Meadows Field when the nose gear collapsed, causing a fire in the front of the plane.

The pilot, Norm Howard, 69, and his passenger, J.D. Pierce, were uninjured.

The crash occurred at 11:50 a.m. on the main runway, closing the airport for an hour.

A United Express flight was sent back to Los Angeles while the runway was closed, Airport Director Ray Bishop said.

It is unknown how many people were on the flight, but the plane carries up to 34 passengers, he said.

Airport-based fire engines were on the scene in less than one minute, according to Bishop.

The plane had been flown only four times, for a total of one hour in the air, said John Krueger, owner of the $180,000 craft.

It was traveling at an estimated 65 to 70 mph when the gear collapsed, causing the craft to go nose down and spin almost 180 degrees, Bishop said.

Howard said his first reaction was to exclaim a more emphatic version of "oh shoot!!!"

He wondered briefly just "what the hell happened," until he saw the fire and thought, "We better get out of this sucker."

Pierce and Howard, a former city firefighter who has flown for 27 years, climbed out and watched Kern County firefighters quickly douse the flames.

The plane was towed back to a hangar, where Krueger expressed great relief that the crew was not injured.

He noted that the wooden propeller on the craft did what it was supposed to do  breaking apart easily so the engine was not jammed and damaged.

Krueger said the plane had been certified as airworthy and had made four successful flights in a limited training area near the airport.

The restriction on the training area would have been lifted after the plane had flown for 25 hours, he said.

Copyright) 2000, The Bakersfield Californian

http://www.bakersfield.com/bak/i--1257669499.asp

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), March 31, 2000