The Citizen
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Captain Jeffrey Raub, of the New York State Police, Syracuse branch, emerges from the pine grove where a single engine fixed wing aircraft crashed near the Skaneateles Aero Drome on Friday afternoon.
Captain Jeffrey Raub, of the New York State Police, Syracuse branch, emerges from the pine grove where a single engine fixed wing aircraft crashed near the Skaneateles Aero Drome on Friday afternoon.
SKANEATELES - A test landing turned tragic after a small plane crashed Friday, killing one man and injuring another.
A private aircraft hit the ground, and skipped about 50 feet into a row of evergreen trees before coming to a stop among the small forest a few minutes before noon.
The pilot, Leslie Woodcock, 64, of Cazenovia, was pronounced dead shortly after the noontime crash, according to Captain Jeffrey D. Raub, of the state police in Syracuse.
The passenger, James M. Spaller, 43, of Syracuse, suffered a collapsed lung and a leg injury and was in critical condition at Syracuse's Upstate Medical Center Friday evening. Spaller is a certified flight instructor, Raub said.
The 1986 Aerofab Lake Renegade came to rest on the west side of Benson Road, directly across the street from the runway. However, state police said the plane was not in line with the runway and that the impact of hitting the trees caused more damage than the plane hitting the ground in a private lot across from the Skaneateles Aero Drome.
The single engine plane took off from Syracuse Hancock International Airport for a training session, but police did not know the destination. Raub said obtaining flight records will take time and they can't get more information because the pilot is dead.
Spaller told Jeff VanBeveren, director of operation for Skaneateles Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Services, the men were working on different flight maneuvers, including “simulation of engine failure while landing,” and they lost air speed.
VanBeveren was among the first responders.
“He was partially ejected from the plane,” VanBeveren said of Spaller. “A bystander got him out the rest of the way and it certainly made it easier on us to (reach) him.”
The tail section remained visible into Friday evening in a hollow among the trees. Raub described the plane as crumbled, but upright.
Raub said the National Transportation Safety Board likely will come on the scene today to ascertain the crash's cause. Federal Aviation Administration representatives drove in from Rochester Friday to examine the wreckage, including the plane's gauges.
The crews waited for FAA representatives to arrive before removing the pilot's body from the plane.
Emergency responders likely will clear the scene today or Sunday.
“We will protect the scene overnight,” Raub said Friday.
Besides state police, SAVES, Mottville and Skaneateles fire departments responded to the scene.
Like most people, bystander Tom Gehrke is curious to understand the reason for the crash. He was waiting to begin his third flight lesson when the crash happened. As the Aero Drome subsequently was shut down, he waited and watched the scene unfold across Benson Road.
Despite Friday's accident, Gehrke says he will continue his flight lessons.
“You've got to do the right thing,” he said. “You can die in the your car just as easily.”
€ October 1993 - The pilot of a refurbished World War II-era plane dies in a crash about three miles south of the Skaneateles Aero Drome
€ October 1993 - Two men are slightly injured when their Cessna crashes in a field about two miles east of the Skaneateles Aero Drome
€ September 1995 - A pilot and his son parachute to safety before their malfunctioning aerobatic plane crashes near Skillet and Bluefield roads in Fleming
€ March 1996 - A pilot and four passengers walk away unharmed as a Cessna flips over during takeoff at Whitford Airport in Weedsport
€ August 1999 - A man is killed when his ultralight plane crashes just after takeoff at Whitford Airport in Weedsport
€ June 2003 - Two people escape injury after their small plane crashes after clipping trees near a private airstrip in Aurora
€ July 2006 - Two men escape serious injury when a powered parachute crashes into a tree near the Skaneateles Aero Drome
A private aircraft hit the ground, and skipped about 50 feet into a row of evergreen trees before coming to a stop among the small forest a few minutes before noon.
The pilot, Leslie Woodcock, 64, of Cazenovia, was pronounced dead shortly after the noontime crash, according to Captain Jeffrey D. Raub, of the state police in Syracuse.
The passenger, James M. Spaller, 43, of Syracuse, suffered a collapsed lung and a leg injury and was in critical condition at Syracuse's Upstate Medical Center Friday evening. Spaller is a certified flight instructor, Raub said.
The 1986 Aerofab Lake Renegade came to rest on the west side of Benson Road, directly across the street from the runway. However, state police said the plane was not in line with the runway and that the impact of hitting the trees caused more damage than the plane hitting the ground in a private lot across from the Skaneateles Aero Drome.
The single engine plane took off from Syracuse Hancock International Airport for a training session, but police did not know the destination. Raub said obtaining flight records will take time and they can't get more information because the pilot is dead.
Spaller told Jeff VanBeveren, director of operation for Skaneateles Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Services, the men were working on different flight maneuvers, including “simulation of engine failure while landing,” and they lost air speed.
VanBeveren was among the first responders.
“He was partially ejected from the plane,” VanBeveren said of Spaller. “A bystander got him out the rest of the way and it certainly made it easier on us to (reach) him.”
The tail section remained visible into Friday evening in a hollow among the trees. Raub described the plane as crumbled, but upright.
Raub said the National Transportation Safety Board likely will come on the scene today to ascertain the crash's cause. Federal Aviation Administration representatives drove in from Rochester Friday to examine the wreckage, including the plane's gauges.
The crews waited for FAA representatives to arrive before removing the pilot's body from the plane.
Emergency responders likely will clear the scene today or Sunday.
“We will protect the scene overnight,” Raub said Friday.
Besides state police, SAVES, Mottville and Skaneateles fire departments responded to the scene.
Like most people, bystander Tom Gehrke is curious to understand the reason for the crash. He was waiting to begin his third flight lesson when the crash happened. As the Aero Drome subsequently was shut down, he waited and watched the scene unfold across Benson Road.
Despite Friday's accident, Gehrke says he will continue his flight lessons.
“You've got to do the right thing,” he said. “You can die in the your car just as easily.”
€ October 1993 - The pilot of a refurbished World War II-era plane dies in a crash about three miles south of the Skaneateles Aero Drome
€ October 1993 - Two men are slightly injured when their Cessna crashes in a field about two miles east of the Skaneateles Aero Drome
€ September 1995 - A pilot and his son parachute to safety before their malfunctioning aerobatic plane crashes near Skillet and Bluefield roads in Fleming
€ March 1996 - A pilot and four passengers walk away unharmed as a Cessna flips over during takeoff at Whitford Airport in Weedsport
€ August 1999 - A man is killed when his ultralight plane crashes just after takeoff at Whitford Airport in Weedsport
€ June 2003 - Two people escape injury after their small plane crashes after clipping trees near a private airstrip in Aurora
€ July 2006 - Two men escape serious injury when a powered parachute crashes into a tree near the Skaneateles Aero Drome
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