Child Unhurt, But Spooked

Birthdays are normally a time of celebration, especially for kids. However, one youngster ended his birthday on a sour note over the weekend.

The child was invited to fly in an Aeronca (file photo) for his seventh birthday but soon found himself fighting to get out of the aircraft, after the plane clipped a power line and crashed onto an icy lake near Pine Lake (MI) on Saturday. Fortunately, the child was unhurt, but the pilot, Frank Blink, 56, of Allegan, was taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo with non-life threatening injuries.

Police reports indicate Blink was practicing touch-and-go landings on the frozen Pine Lake about 1:45 p.m. when the plane apparently struck a power line and nose-dived onto the ice. Police said Gentry was taking the child for a "birthday ride" but did not know Blink's relationship to the youngster, whose name was not released.

Volunteers later hoisted the body of the yellow Aeronca onto a trailer to be taken off the ice. A FAA representative was at the scene to investigate the crash, police said.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 1087E        Make/Model: CH7A      Description: 7ACA/ECA Champ, Citabria
  Date: 01/24/2004     Time: 1849
  Event Type: Incident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Minor
LOCATION
  City: PINE LAKE                   State: MI   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
ACFT CRASHED ON ICE ON PINE LAKE, MI.  OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN.  PINE LAKE, MI

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
WEATHER: METAR KAZO 241853Z 00000KT FEW110 M08/M18 A3017 RMK A02                    
OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Landing      Operation: General Aviation
  Departed: UNKN                        Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: UNKN                     Flt Plan: NONE         Wx Briefing: N
  Last Radio Cont: NONE    Last Clearance: NONE
  FAA FSDO: GRAND RAPIDS, MI  (GL09)              Entry date: 01/26/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov