2011 East Lake plane crash
The 2011 East Lake plane crash was a fatal aviation accident that occurred in a field adjacent to the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport on January 5, 2011.
The twin-engine Beech BE-58 aircraft was registered to the Sutter's Mill Gold & Jewelry (also known as Pee Wee's Pawn Shop) in Pelham. The pilot, Eugene Scott, was en route from New Jersey to the Shelby County Airport, but contacted the tower at BHM to revise his flight plan because of weather conditions in Shelby County. He had circled the airport once, and was approaching a Runway 24 when the incident occurred.
Witnesses reported seeing the craft in flames before it dove nose-first into a vacant lot, now part of airport property, near the intersection of 80th Street and 7th Avenue North in North East Lake. The tail flipped over the front of the plane as it was engulfed in flames. There were no survivors on board, and no other casualties.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
References
- Gray, Jeremy (January 5, 2011) "Crashed plane owned by Pelham pawn shop, according to federal records." Birmingham News
- Stewart, Sherrel (January 6, 2011) "NTSB team set to investigate fatal East Lake plane crash." Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (January 6, 2011) "Family identifies pilot in East Lake plane crash as Eugene Scott." Birmingham News
External links
- Birmingham News photos at al.com
- ABC 33/40 photos at flickr.com