A Grand Forks pilot was taken to hospital with minor injuries after crash-landing a plane near the city airport Friday, June 18.
Mounties said the pilot, a man in his 60s, lost control of a single-engine propeller plane at around 9 a.m., shortly after taking off from Grand Forks Airport (ZGF). The pilot was unable to call in a May Day signal before landing nose-first in an orchard on the 5800-block of Como Road. No one else was on board when the plane went down.
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A photo taken close up shows the plane’s propeller lodged in the earth, between rows of fruit trees. Photo: Laurie Tritschler
Badly shaken but largely unscathed, he then left the downed plane and flagged down a passing motorist, who phoned 911.
He was complaining of a sore back when he was taken to hospital for observation at around 9:45 a.m, Mounties said.
Mounties at the scene said they were looking into the crash, pending an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
The crash was likely the result of a critical engine failure, according to Grand Forks RCMP.
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