VIDEO: Plane Crash-Lands in High Street Parking Lot

VIDEO: Plane Crash-Lands in High Street Parking Lot

By Sam Thrift Tuesday, October 18, 2011

This 1973 Cessna crash-landed in the High Street parking lot in Williamsburg around 11 this morning.

A pilot and his passenger were uninjured after his small single-engine plane lost power around 11 Monday morning, forcing him to land at the rear of High Street in Williamsburg. The plane, a 1973 Cessna, clipped a tree and light pole before coming to a stop in the parking lot.

The pilot, 81-year-old Hans Kopper of Williamsburg, and his passenger left Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport around 10 a.m. Monday on “a pleasure flight,” said Virginia State Police Trooper J. Lister. Kopper experienced engine trouble about an hour later and found an open field to land in, Lister said.

But the open field, off of Treyburn Drive, was too short, and Kopper overshot it as he tried to land. The Cessna touched down and hit a tree and light pole next to the parking garage near the back of the mixed used development.

The plane was damaged and no one on the ground was hurt.

Comments

0 #14 FYI 2011-10-22 15:04

Quoting Jessie:

This was mechanical trouble but a person this age is highly likely to have a medical emergency.

What is scary is that an 81 year old is piloting a plane over Wmsbg. Supposed the plane hit a school?

I would not be a passenger in a plane piloted by a person 80+ unless I was also a pilot.

You do realize that the FAA requires that pilots be cleared medically? Mr. Kopper was. Not only that, but at any place in the US at any given time a plane can drop out of the sky for a thousand different reasons. As far as Williamsburg is concerned, you may want to be more concerned about the inexperienced flight students from the flight school than an experienced pilot who clearly made a safe landing regardless of the reason. I am still trying to figure out why a school was built at the end of the runway at the Williamsburg airport.

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+2 #13 Jose 2011-10-18 18:16

Mr. Kopper, I feel the same way about Plaza and its Guacamole.....G OT TO HAVE IT! I've been known to push some old ladies out of the way to get mine. But Crashing a plane for it...WOW!

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+3 #12 John Enright 2011-10-18 15:38

Cool parking job, Mr. Kopper. Very, very cool, and obviously calm and collected. Nicely done. Glad you and your passenger walked away unscathed.

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+5 #11 Laurie Tedesco 2011-10-18 12:32

I want to say EXCELLENT job Mr Kopper!!!

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+7 #10 pot 2011-10-18 11:56

This can happen to anyone and is not age related. There are better ways to assess someone's suitability for flying, driving, etc.

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+5 #9 Diksum 2011-10-18 10:47

Quoting Aero-naut:

Experienced or not; an 81 year old person should NOT be piloting a single engine plane! I am opposed to 'government in your face', but for the safety of all, including the pilot and passengers, there should be an upper (and lower) age limit for pilots.

Hey Aero-nut: As long as a pilot passes his biennial flight review and has a valid medical certificate, please tell us why YOU, who seem to know nothing about flying, are such an expert on who should be able to fly or not. P.S. There is a lower limit for pilots.

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-10 #8 Aero-naut 2011-10-18 09:36

Experienced or not; an 81 year old person should NOT be piloting a single engine plane! I am opposed to 'government in your face', but for the safety of all, including the pilot and passengers, there should be an upper (and lower) age limit for pilots.

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+12 #7 Niko 2011-10-18 08:04

An emergency landing where they walk away uninjured is a good landing. Eventually, the NTSB will have the investigation results on their website.

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+8 #6 jerry 2011-10-18 07:36

Shame on you jessie! Based upon the way I see young people drive I would prefer riding with an "ole timer", especially one who is a pilot. Experience DOES matter.

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+31 #5 Jerry Mitchell 2011-10-18 06:42

An eighty year old man with fifty years of experience may be better than a thirty year old man with little experience. Don't let age, like gender, be a factor in your judgement. It was a good landing, all things considered: he walked away from it.

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