Retiree Upgraded From Stable To Fair Condition With Head Injury

The pilot of a single-engine plane that landed in a Paso Robles vineyard last Wednesday morning remained in the hospital over the weekend, listed in fair condition from a head injury suffered in the crash. "He's actually doing quite well for what he experienced," Twin Cities Community Hospital spokeswoman Brenda Gray said.

The San Louis Obispo Tribune said Francis 'Frank" Reimus, 75, declined to make a statement to reporters, but friends of the pilot speculated the AeroVee engine installed on Reimus' Sonex (file photo of type shown above) may have suffered mechanical failure.

"If the engine had been running, [both] the propeller blades would have been bent," fellow pilot Doug Erway said, noting the crash seemed to have bent only the blade that impacted the ground.

"If he glided, he did a reasonably good landing out there," Erway said. The plane came down three miles from Paso Robles Municipal Airport (PRB) amidst trellises at Meridian Vineyards, but caused minimal crop damage.

The aircraft, built by Reimus, didn't fare as well, sustaining an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 worth of damage.

Erway was Reimus' flight instructor while he was working on getting a sport pilot license. "He took his flying seriously," Erway said. "He didn't take unnecessary chances." The FAA is investigating the incident.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 1006N        Make/Model: EXP       Description: FR1
  Date: 03/25/2009     Time: 1840

  Event Type: Accident  Highest Injury: None   Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: PASO ROBLES   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A VINEYARD, 3 MILES FROM PASO ROBLES AIRPORT,      PASO ROBLES, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

FAA FSDO: SAN JOSE, CA  (WP15)                  Entry date: 03/26/2009

FMI: www.faa.gov