The Wheels On The Plane Didn’t Go Round And Round
Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett reports that on Saturday March 20, at about 6:13 pm, Deputy Zachary Torchia responded to a fuel spill at the Columbia County Airport. Deputy Torchia responded to the scene and found that the fuel spill was the result of a plane that had landed without deploying its landing gear. The plane was a 1963 Piper Camanche PA24-250 operated by Larrie Sutliff of Briarcliff Manor. Deputy Torchia made contact with airport personnel on scene and the pilot, who was not injured in the landing.
The pilot had been practicing landings and did not realize his landing gear was not down. The plane landed on its fuselage, slid, and came to rest on the runway. The pilot did not appear to be under the influence of any intoxicants.
The Sheriff’s Office is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in regards to this investigation. Deputy Torchia was assisted at the airport by Sergeant Heath Benansky.”