A World War II-era aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Terre Haute Regional Airport on Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.
Two people were on the plane, and the pilot was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital for minor injuries.
A passenger in the plane was able to walk away from the crash, according to Craig Maschino, airport director.
The pilot was trapped in the inverted aircraft for a short time. Responding airport emergency crews successfully extracted the pilot and turned off the aircraft’s master switch to prevent further danger, stated a release from the airport’s public relations firm.
The crash occurred just before 2 p.m. on airport property near Indiana 42 and Chamberlain Street.
The aircraft came in as part of a group of three, said Maschino.
The first, a Grumman HU-16 Albatross, landed safely without incident, and the third, a North American T-6 Texan, was diverted to Sullivan County Airport.
Multiple agencies, including the airport fire department as well as Terre Haute police and fire departments, responded.
The airport temporarily closed, but one runway later re-opened.
According to Maschino, the plane that crashed was a Grumman TBM Avenger; it clipped the airport’s fence, landed short of the runway and flipped upside down.
The airport, working with local law enforcement, was securing the perimeter around the crashed aircraft.
“Once that is done, the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will come in and do an investigation. They will give us further guidance,” Maschino said.
Airport officials will share more information as soon as they are able, he said. The biggest concern is the medical condition of the individuals who were on the plane.
Karlee Erickson, director of airport operations, was in charge of the airport response and running a checklist.
“We train for these things all the time. Unfortunately, we’re running the checklist for real today,” said Maschino, who was attending an aviation conference in Indianapolis when the crash occurred.
He planned to fly back to the airport, but had to wait until one of the runways was re-opened.
As soon as the crash happened, Erickson temporarily closed the entire airfield, working with controllers, he said. Erickson later re-opened one runway “so we can get people in,” Maschino said.
He planned to meet with staff as soon as he returned to the airport, and more information will be provided as officials are able.
Jeff Fisher, chief of Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting at Terre Haute Regional Airport, led the emergency response, the airport reported through its public relations firm.
Airport personnel worked with the 181st Intelligence Wing and local law enforcement to secure and maintain a safe perimeter around the crash site.
The three planes were enroute to a weekend airshow in Peru, Illinois, according to David O’Maley, president of the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia, Ohio.
The event was called the TBM reunion; TBM was the type of aircraft involved in the incident.
O’Maley was on the plane that landed safely at the airport.
He did not want to comment on the accident itself.
“The pilot and passenger are both miraculously safe and that is at the forefront of our focus,” O’Maley said.
He said the pilot had minor injuries and was airlifted to Indianapolis out of an abundance of caution.