First on WMUR: Video shows plane as it crashes while attempting to land at Hampton Airfield
A pilot is OK after a small plane crashed while attempting to land at Hampton Airfield on Tuesday morning.
By Kelly O’Brien
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HAMPTON, New Hampton (WMUR) — A pilot is OK after a small plane crashed while attempting to land at Hampton Airfield on Tuesday morning.
The plane crashed around 10:10 a.m. near Reddington Landing.
The deputy fire chief said the pilot was landing when he clipped a tree, causing the plane to spin into a wooded area nearby.
“I’ll tell you, it’s pretty, pretty scary to know that you live next to an airport, and you see something like this,” neighbor Chris Martin said.
The crash was caught on a camera outside Martin’s home.
“He almost landed on the street,” Martin said. “You know, thank God there weren’t cars.”
According to a preliminary statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Luscombe 8A plane slid off the runway at Hampton Airfield while pilot Dave Lennon was practicing landing and taking off again without stopping.
Lennon was the only person the plane, and he said he is familiar with the airfield, having flown out of it hundreds of times.
“I was shooting for the end of the runway, and I just obviously didn’t make it,” he said. “It was closer to the houses than I thought.”
He said he knew something wasn’t right when landing.
“It started dipping, and I said to myself, ‘Oh no,’ and tried to hold onto it to keep it from stalling completely,” he said.
After the crash, Lennon got himself out of the plane and was able to walk away. He was looked over by first responders and said he is grateful that he didn’t hit anything or anyone.
“I walked out without a scratch, and I’m fine. That’s all I’ll say,” Lennon said. “I’m just glad. It could have been much worse.”
No one on the ground was injured. Drivers in the area were asked to use caution as officials continued to investigate.
Fire officials said they will remain at the scene until the plane is removed.
Officials said the plane is secured and it did not leak any fluids.
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