Incident Third In 10 Years... On Same Street

For the third time in 10 years, a pilot chose a rooftop in Columbia, SC to set down during an emergency landing.

Pilot Larry Ross experienced a loss of engine power in a Cessna 177 Cardinal just after takeoff from Columbia Owens Downtown Airport Sunday morning.

Ross set the aircraft down on Boineau's Moving and Storage Inc. on Commerce Drive, about a third of a mile northwest of the airport striking a power line in the process, airport manger Jim Hamilton told the State News.

The Cardinal's owners, James and Joanne Keisler sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries, said Columbia Police spokeswoman Sgt. Florence McCants. All were treated at a local hospital and released.

The warehouse sustained a bit of damage, too. The Cardinal leaked about 30 gallons of fuel into the building through a hole in the roof, according to Deputy Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins.

The other roof-landings were August 2, 1997 when an unknown-type Cessna lost power in flight and landed on a building in the 2800 block of Commerce Drive; the other occurred on June 29, 1998 when another Cessna clipped a guy wire and force-landed atop a building... also in the 2800 block of Commerce Drive.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 2353Y        Make/Model: C177      Description: 177, Cardinal
  Date: 09/09/2007     Time: 1515

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Serious     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: COLUMBIA   State: SC   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT ON DEPARTURE, CRASHED ONTO A ROOF OF A BUILDING, COLUMBIA, SC

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   2     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   1     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: CAE 10SM CLR 30/17 A3004

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Take-off      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: COLUMBIA, SC  (SO13)                  Entry date: 09/10/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.columbiasouthcarolina.com/owens.html