kdvr.com wrote:Pilot uninjured after small plane clips car, crashes in Colorado
By Associated Press
7:14 PM MDT, April 28, 2010
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A small plane crashed landed and hit the back of a car carrying two people in Colorado on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported and the pilot left the scene on foot, authorities said.
The single-engine BE-35 crashed at about noon when a wind gust apparently caught it as it touched down on the runway at Boulder Municipal Airport, said Boulder County sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Brough. The plane's left wing was sheared off when it hit a power pole.
Ken and Carol Marcoux, the passengers of the Toyota Prius that was hit, told the Daily Camera they stopped to watch a tow plane take off when they saw the Beechcraft Bonanza trying to land. The Gunbarrel couple said it looked like the plane was having trouble with crosswinds when it slammed down, bounced and headed for their car.
Ken Marcoux said he hit the gas, then the plane hit the back of the car, with a wing tip smashing through the rear passenger's side window.
"That was one time a Prius is not the best car to be in," said Ken Marcoux, adding that a powerful sports car might have given the couple a bigger margin of safety.
Brough said the plane went through a fence and under power lines before hitting the Prius. After the crash, the pilot grabbed a large black satchel from the plane and ran away, authorities and witnesses told the Daily Camera.
"It's peculiar and a bit bizarre," sheriff's Sgt. Mike Dimond said.
Brough said the pilot, 67-year-old Joe Curtis of Commerce City, later contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board Wednesday and met with authorities at the crash site.
The NTSB, which is investigating the crash, didn't return a call after business hours.
A call to a number listed for Joe Curtis wasn't immediately returned.
Joe, are you out there? What was in the satchel?
Hope his wife lets him get that 'Vette he always wanted now.
