2012 Birmingham plane crash
The 2012 Birmingham plane crash was a non-fatal aviation accident that occurred on a grassed lot just south of The Furnace on the 2800 block of 2nd Avenue North on October 6, 2012.
The single-engine Cirrus SR22 aircraft, piloted by Billy Sprague and registered to his Two Flyers LLC of Key West, Florida, was en route from Kansas City, Missouri and was scheduled to stop for refueling at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport at 12:12 PM. The pilot became disoriented due to poor visibility and radioed the airport to report a missed approach. After receiving instructions to climb back to 4,000 feet on a new heading, he lost control of the craft and made the decision to deploy its on-board parachute system in anticipation of a crash landing.
Slowed by the parachute, the plane landed in the grass with its nose slightly down. The pilot was largely unhurt, while a female passenger suffered some injuries and was taken to UAB Hospital for treatment. The Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded to reports of the crash and cleaned up approximately 10 gallons of fuel spilled from its damaged left wing.
References
- Watkins, Mia (October 6, 2012) "Plane crashes east of downtown Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Reed, Martin J. (November 4, 2012) "Report: Pilot had loss of aircraft control before crash in downtown Birmingham." The Birmingham News
External links
- Birmingham News photos at al.com