Blaine Pilot Uninjured After Plane Flips Over During Take Off

Nearly 2.5 hours passed between the time a small aircraft crashed at the Princeton Municipal Airport and when the incident was first reported to law enforcement on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The pilot, 44-year-old Erick Carlson, of Blaine, as well as two juvenile female passengers were not injured in the crash. Twin City Flight, a flight company based out of the Blaine airport.

Twin City Flight is the owner of the plane.

The Cessna 172 took off into the wind at the Princeton Airport at about 2:30 p.m., and overturned about half-way up the runway, Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton said.

Evidence at the scene shows that the plane started to take-off and went down the runway. It appears the pilot lost control of the plane during take-off.

“The pilot aborted the take-off and the plane ran off the runway,” Burton said. “It ends up flipping over. The pilot and two passengers crawled out of the plane uninjured.

The crash was not reported until almost 5 p.m. when a North Memorial Aircare helicopter crew spotted the overturned plane while flying over the airport at 800 Airport Road, and reported the sighting to law enforce-ment.

That call was made to the Sherburne County emergency communications center, and then Mille Lacs County.

Responders from the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office, Princeton Police Department, and Princeton Fire & Rescue responded.

Princeton Fire Chief Ron Lawrence arrived on scene and reported the plane to be upside down next to the runway. A responding Princeton police officer added that the plane was being held up by one of its wings.

There were no flames or visible smoke, Lawrence said. Law enforcement and fire department officials con-firmed there were no occupants in the plane when they found it overturned.

Local law enforcement reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The agencies investigated the incident, Burton said.

According to an initial report filed with the FFA on Monday, Feb. 27, the plane then went off into a snow bank. The initial FAA report states the plane sustained substantial damage.

The plane’s propeller was bent and there was damage to the plane’s wing, Burton said.

The Cessna 172 is a fixed wing single-engine aircraft.

SOURCE: Hometown Source