Plane flips over during landing at small Massachusetts airport, injuring pilot
A plane flipped over during landing at an airport in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
It happened just after 10 a.m. as the pilot tried to land on the runway by Crawford Street at the Fitchburg Airport.
"The occupant stated the plane had flipped onto its roof while attempting to land due to a change in the headwind into a crosswind," Fitchburg Fire said in a Facebook post.
The pilot had come from Sterling Airport to purchase fuel, according to Fitchburg Airport manager Peter Kettle.
The pilot received minor scratches from the crash and was taken to the hospital to be checked out, Kettle said. The victim was not identified. There was no one else in the plane at the time.
The plane is a Cessna 170, which is a single-engine, four-seat aircraft. The airport was temporarily closed after the crash. The FAA and MassDOT were both informed about the crash.
The Fitchburg Airport is located between Leominster and Fitchburg on Main Street. It mainly allows small planes to fly there, but can allow some larger airplanes with a wingspan of less than 79 feet, according to their website. The airport first opened in June 1929 after over a year of construction. The airport hosts flight schools, maintenance facilities, and charter businesses.
Fitchburg is roughly 50 miles northwest of Boston.
Wind flips Maine plane
A gust of wind flipped a small plane flown by a Massachusetts college student in May of 2024. Bridgewater State University owned the plane and said that it was being used by a senior aviation major when it flipped. It