Three Crewmembers and 56 Dogs Suffer Only Minor Injuries
On Tuesday 15 November 2022 at approximately 09:00 CST, an Ameriflight Fairchild SA227-AT Expediter (N247DH) made an emergency landing on the links of the Western Lakes Golf Club in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
The aircraft came down three-nautical-miles short of Waukesha, Wisconsin airport (UES)—its filed destination—while attempting the ILS approach to runway 10 in visibility limited by snowfall. Fifteen minutes prior to the accident, visibility at UES was reported to be eight-hundred-meters.
Notwithstanding the total loss of the 37-year-old Metroliner, its three crewmembers and cargo of 56 dogs survived the accident with only minor injuries.
Ameriflight flight 7141 was a charter operation undertaken for purpose of transporting at-risk adoptable dogs from shelters in the southern U.S. to the Waukesha Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) and several partner shelters. The flight originated at New Orleans Lakefront Airport (NEW) and had neared to within minutes of UES when it departed the approach course and came to ground.
The debris-field resultant of the Metroliner’s impact started on the golf course's fifth hole and continued to the third hole, where the aircraft came to rest—wings sheared from its fuselage. Local officials reported a spill of approximately three-hundred-gallons of jet fuel which permeated sections of the golf course and spilled into a nearby marsh.
The dogs—to a one—were triaged at HAWS by staff veterinarians and remain under observation. Barring the manifestation of medical concerns secondary to their ordeal, the animals are expected to be placed up for adoption in the coming days.
HAWS representative Maggie Tate remarked: "Just bumps and scrapes for the dogs—which is incredible. They’ve been through a lot. They’ve had a much busier Tuesday than they anticipated."
Waukesha authorities expressed thanks to Western Lakes Golf Club personnel for expediently guiding first responders to the crash site and getting the dogs to safety.
Lake Country Fire & Rescue’s Matthew Haerter stated: "We'd just like to thank again not only Western Lakes, but obviously the pilot and his co-pilot did an amazing job getting this aircraft on the ground the way they did.”
The accident is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
Ameriflight issued the following statement regarding the incident:
“On November 15, 2022 at approximately 0900 local time, a SA227 cargo aircraft operated by Ameriflight, LLC of Dallas, Texas was involved in an incident near Waukesha County Airport (UES) in Waukesha, Wisconsin on a flight originating from El Paso, Texas.
“There were three persons onboard the aircraft. All are being treated for minor injuries by local medical personnel. It has been confirmed that there are no fatalities.
“Ameriflight has reported the incident to the proper authorities and the airline is cooperating fully with the investigation.”
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