Two downed aircraft at municipal airport over weekend

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration have been notified after two incidents involving downed or damaged aircraft at the Porterville Municipal Airport. In both cases, pilots report experiencing a ‘pulling’ in their aircraft prior to collision.

On Friday at about 11:31 a.m. officers from Porterville Police Department were notified of a small aircraft that collided with a runway sign. The unidentified pilot was making a landing when she stated her aircraft began pulling, which caused her to collide with an airport marker.

The pilot was not injured and was able to taxi the aircraft off the runaway before notifying authorities. The aircraft and sign sustained minor damage.

On Saturday at approximately 9:10 a.m. Porterville Police and Fire personnel responded to the airport regarding a downed aircraft. Once on scene, the adult male pilot was contacted and determined to have been uninjured.

The pilot reported that as he was preparing to take off, his aircraft began pulling to the left and veered off the runway and into the dirt field. As he attempted to maneuver the aircraft to recover, it began to lift and ultimately overturned.

There were no other occupants in the aircraft at the time of the incident and the aircraft sustained moderate damage.