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79-year-old pilot crashed into fuel truck at Wisconsin airport, cops say. He survived

The man was preparing to take off before the crash, officials said.
The man was preparing to take off before the crash, officials said. Racine County Sheriffs Office

An airplane crashed into a fuel tanker before takeoff, Wisconsin officials said in a Tuesday, Jan. 18 news release.

Racine County Sheriff’sdeputies responded to the morning crash at Sylvania Airport, the department said in the release.

The pilot, a 79-year-old Waterford resident, clipped the fuel tanker with one of the plane’s wings, causing the plane to “spin around” and “crash head-on” into the truck, the release said.

The single-engine plane had significant damage on its front end, the release said. It leaked fuel but there was no fire.

The pilot was awake and breathing, and was taken to the hospital, the release said.

Sylvania Airport in Sturtevant is about 28 miles south of Milwaukee.

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This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 6:28 PM with the headline "79-year-old pilot crashed into fuel truck at Wisconsin airport, cops say. He survived."

Mariah Rush
mcclatchy-newsroom
Mariah Rush is a National Real-Time Reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has previously worked for The Chicago Tribune, The Tampa Bay Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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