A vintage jet based at the Genesee County Airport and once restored and owned by actor John Travolta crashed yesterday due to engine failure.
The 1947 Viper came down just short of the runway at 3:20 p.m. at Rochester International Airport after the pilot tried to return to the airport five minutes after takeoff.
The pilot, Peter Treichler, 40, of East Aurora, suffered a back injury and is in satisfactory condition, reported the Democrat and Chronicle.
The wooden aircraft hit on its belly. Pieces were scattered 200 feet and the runway was shut down for three hours, causing flight delays and some cancellations.
UPDATE: RNews has a picture of the crashed plane.
I'm glad to hear that this
I'm glad to hear that this pilot wasn't badly hurt.
Does anyone know if this is the jet aircraft that is often seen (and mostly heard) flying around the airport and over the city during the evening hours?
According to the RNews website it's owned by the Wings of Flight aircraft club in Batavia.