Donald Dahl Was Test-Flying The Airplane Before It Was To Be Sold At Auction

A former member of the Kansas Legislature was fatally injured Friday when the Qicksilver GT500 he was flying went down in a pond south of Hillsboro, KS.

Authorities say 69-year-old Donald Dahl was test-flying the airplane before it was to be sold at an auction scheduled for Saturday. A Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman said that Dahl struck a tree branch which caused the airplane to flip over and land in the water inverted. He was transported to a hospital nearby where he died from injuries resulting from the accident.

Television station KWCH reports that a friend who had helped Dahl prep the airplane for the test flight said he watched the plane take off, but then lost sight of it. He heard a loud "bang" and saw that there had been an accident.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said Dalh "had a proud legacy of public service. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he served the people of Kansas as a representative for six terms. The Lt. Governor and I extend our personal sympathy to his family and friends."

(Quicksilver GT500 pictured in file photo. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov