Plane Dramatically Lands Upright, After Crashing Into A Tree

An 80-year-old pilot was lucky to escape serious injury after crashing into a parking lot tree while trying to land at nearby Robertson Airport in Plainville, Connecticut.Show more

Surveillance camera footage shows the small plane crash into a tree near a Connecticut business Monday morning. The 1981 Cessna 172 aircraft is seen flying low to the ground before hitting the tree, turning around and landing upright with a slam on a Plainville parking lot around 11:25 a.m., according to local authorities.

The police identified the pilot as Manfred Forst, who was then taken to The Hospital of Central Connecticut and treated for “what appeared to be minor injuries.” No one else was hurt.

The Plainville Town Manager told WTNH News that the pilot “ran into trouble and wound up crashing” at Carling Technologies, a manufacturer on Johnson Avenue located near Robertson Field Airport.

Authorities add that the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene and is investigating the crash.

When this plane's front wheel dangerously malfunctions, the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing. At first, the plane’s propellers stop working just above the ground, but the pilot restarts the engine and they start turning. But just as they try to lower the front of the plane on the strip, the front landing wheel collapses, forcing the plane to come to a halt using the propellers.

Credit to 'Plainville Police Department'.