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Attempt to avoid wire blamed for crash of cropduster in Alexander

By Howard B. Owens

A pilot dusting a sweet cornfield off Brooksville Road in Alexander this morning spotted a wire stretched over the field and his attempt to avoid it led to the crash of his plane.

Officials say Louis C. Christie, 48, of Stephentown, was unhurt in the 10:30 a.m. crash.

Christie attempted to avoid the wire by maneuvering quickly to go under it, but his plane bottomed out and a prop was damaged. When Christie attempted to make a turn over trees at the south end of the field, his plane stalled and dropped to the ground.

The fuselage of the plane was largely undamaged and Christie climbed out easily, walked to the roadway and awaited the arrival of emergency personnel.

The plane was a 1974 Piper Pawnee D Spray Plane.

FAA inspectors were called to the scene and the accident is still under investigation by the FAA and the Sheriff's Office.

Doug Yeomans

That could be a new ride at Darien Lake park called "The Tail Spin!" I'm glad to hear he's okay. That had to have been a "mess your shorts" kind of experience.

Aug 3, 2012, 7:25am Permalink

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