TBM 700 Went Down Monday In A Wisconsin Bean Field Near Houses

Officials at a news conference held Tuesday in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, said the 76-year-old pilot of a TBM 700 "acted heroically" in steering his airplane away from several houses before crashing in a bean field Monday. The pilot, Phillip Pines, was fatally injured in the accident.

TBM 700 Three View

A news release distributed at a news conference Tuesday said "Mr. Pines acted in a heroic manner by attempting to land the plane in an area that was open and avoided several populated subdivisions not far from where the crash occurred." The Caledonia Patch reports that NTSB investigator John Brannen told reporters that Pines was returning to the Waukegan, IL airport from Wausau when he began to experience problems holding altitude. Pines was reportedly only about ten minutes from his destination when the accident occurred. He said the aircraft skidded about 75 yards after it first impacted the ground.

The TBM was carrying a lot of fuel when it went down, according to South Shore Fire Department Chief William Bouma, who told reporters that it was fortunate there was no fire associated with the accident. The bean field was declared a total loss due to the amount of fuel spilled when the plane went down.

The wreckage will reportedly be moved to a hangar in Oshkosh for further examination.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov