Plane Reportedly Contacted Powerlines And Went Down In North Carolina

The founder of Bearhawk Aircraft was injured Monday in an accident at Holly Ridge/Topsail Island Airport in North Carolina.

Television station WECT reports that Bob Barrows (pictured) was the only person aboard the Bearhawk LSA when it struck powerlines on approach to the airport and went nose-first into the ground. He was airlifted to the Wilmington hospital, where he was listed in fair condition on Tuesday.

The Bearhawk community was notified of the accident through an online forum. User Mark Goldberg posted that Barrows was on is way to visit his daughter in Wilmington when the accident occurred. Golberg says that Barrows suffered a broken leg and a broken foot in the accident, along with multiple bruises. Barrows' daughter is a nurse, and was at the airport waiting for him when he went down.

The Bearhawk 4 place, Patrol, and the Bearhawk LSA were designed by Barrows, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Flying since 1967, Bob has over 4,000 hours of flight time almost exclusively in tailwheel aircraft.

(Image courtesy of Bearhawk Aircraft)

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