Both People On Board The Aircraft Survived The Accident

It seems like every year, someone has an accident on the way to AirVenture. In 2019, the accident airplane was a 1940 Culver Cadet with two people on board. The good news is, both survived the accident, though they were hospitalized.

Madison.com reports that the plane went down in a soybean field Friday near Viroqua Municipal Airport (Y51) in Vernon County, WI after experiencing engine problems. Aboard the airplane were 71-year-old Alton Akers of Worley, ID, who was flying the plane, and his 40-year-old son Cabe, who lives in Chicago. They had departed from Idaho headed to AirVenture when the plane went down.

After the engine started to malfunction, the two decided to divert to Y51, but when they realized they were not going to make the airport, they activated the ELT. The engine stopped entirely on descent to the field.

The landing gear was down, and after touchdown, the gear dug into the soft ground and flipped the airplane over onto its back. Both men were able to get out of the wreckage, and they were transported to the hospital.

The plane was removed from the field by airport officials, the sheriff's office, and the Viroqua Fire Department, according to the report.

(Image provided by the Vernon County Sheriff's Office)

FMI: Source report