A video showing a Cessna 172 hitting a tree has been released by the Plainville Police Department. Thankfully—and astonishingly— the pilot, 79-year-old Manfred Forst, sustained only minor injuries. He has already been released from the hospital.
It has been reported that the Cessna 172P, N54463, departed Robertson Field Airport (4B8) in Plainville, Connecticut. The crash occurred at around 11:30 Monday morning after the plane performed a wheels-on-pavement go-around from Runway 2. The aircraft made a sharp right turn on climb out, dodged one tree, hit another and came to rest in the parking lot of a business adjacent to the airport.
The accident airplane was a 1981 model owned by Interstate Aviation, Inc., an aircraft rental, air charter and flight training business. The airplane was rented to the pilot prior to the crash. Several sources have mentioned a fuel leak, though it is uncertain if that occurred before the crash or was caused by the impact. The usual suspects are investigating.
