Small plane crashes in woods in Elizabeth Township, pilot suffers serious injuries

A pilot suffered life-threatening injuries Friday night when his plane crashed into a wooded area of Elizabeth Township, about a half-mile from Rostraver Airport, township officials said.

The pilot, whose name was not released, was pulled from the wreckage of his single-engine Aeronca 7 Champion plane that crashed shortly before 7 p.m. off Route 136, near the Elizabeth Township-Rostraver Township border, Elizabeth Township Police Chief Ken Honick said.

The pilot, who was flying alone, was transported by an ambulance then airlifted from Rostraver Airport to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh by a medical helicopter, Honick said.

Neighbors heard the plane crash shortly around 6:45 p.m. in the woods near Skillet Hill Road, but in an area that can’t be seen from the road, Honick said. A neighbor, who wished not to be identified, said he heard a loud bang.

Firefighters from Elizabeth Township, Sutersville, Rostraver Central and Collinsburg departments worked to free the victim from the wreckage, which was found about 100 yards behind a home along Route 136, Honick said.

Officials learned that the pilot was practicing a maneuver called “touch-and-go” where the plane touched down at Rostraver Airport, then flew back into the air. After a second maneuver, the plane lost altitude and crashed, the chief said.

The pilot recently purchased the older plane, which he kept in a hangar at Finleyville Airport in northern Washington County, according to Robert Usnick, manager of the Finleyville airport. It is normal procedure to practice landing and taking off when a pilot purchases a different plane, Usnick said.

The Federal Aviation Administration was contacted about the crash and will investigate along with the National Transportation Safety Board, federal officials said.

Emergency responders left the plane where they found it in the woods and police remained at the scene to secure the site.