A small airplane crashed in rural Polk County this morning as the pilot tried to land at the Ankeny airport. The pilot and a passenger both escaped serious injury. The plane was experiencing engine problems and flipped over when it hit the ground.
Elizabeth Isham-Cory, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, says F.A.A. investigators will review the crash. She says the investigation will include a review of the weather conditions, the plane’s maintenance record and if the pilot was certified and following “rules of flight.”
The pilot, Andy Gille, and passenger, Sid Samuels, were flying from Wisconsin to the Des Moines Airport. Gille said he was trying to land on a dirt road when the plane ran out of fuel.