Approach To Sierra Sky Park Runway Just A Bit Too Low

A plane on final approach to Fresno's Sierra Sky Park Saturday apparently got a little bit too low over a street bordering the airport when it clipped the roof of a passing furniture truck.

Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Chuck Tobias said the pilot of the Piper Tomahawk (type shown at right) told investigators he was lined up for landing and thought he was at a good altitude when he hit the truck, the Fresno Bee reported.

"It looks like his landing gear struck the top of the truck behind the cab, and sheared off a good portion of the roof," Tobias said. "The plane then continued for a very short distance, but crashed short of the runway." No injuries were reported.

The approach to runway 30 at Sierra Sky Park (E79) in northwest Fresno takes pilots over Herndon Avenue, which runs east-west along the south side of the airport. Strewn with debris for hundreds of feet, the westbound lanes were closed while police and firefighters examined the scene, the Bee said.

The Tomahawk impacted the ground about 25 feet north of Herndon, and about 25 feet short of the runway. Closed during the investigation, the airport was expected to reopen shortly. "There's actually no debris on the runway," Tobias said.

The two men who were in the truck and the pilot of the plane were talking to investigators, and not available for comment, the Bee said.

The FAA's N-number database lists the owner of the plane as Fresno's Golden Eagle Enterprises, which operates as Mazzei Flying Service at nearby Fresno Yosemite International Airport (KFAT).

Opened in 1947, Sierra Sky Park is home to about 40 planes, and features a single runway 2,920 feet in length. Runway markings denote a displaced threshold listed as being 292 feet from the approach end of runway 30.

FMI: www.flymfs.com, www.faa.gov