Pilot OK Following Emergency Landing In Denver Parking Lot
05 Oct '06
Bonanza Impacted Three Cars
No one was injured Tuesday night when a Beech Bonanza clipped a light pole, and impacted parked vehicles in an office building parking lot near Denver's Centennial Airport.
The pilot, identified by Arapahoe County police as 77-year-old William Disser, was able to get out of the plane on his own... and only suffered minor cuts in the crash. Disser told investigators he'd taken off from San Jose, CA bound for Colorado Springs -- but he diverted from that airport, due to bad weather.
Disser added he attempted to land at Centennial, but executed a go around due to wind conditions. It was during this go around that Disser said the plane developed an as-yet-unknown engine problem.
Disser refused medical treatment following the landing, and declined to speak with reporters. It was unclear from media reports if he had declared an emergency with the tower at Centennial, although the FAA Preliminary Report states Disser did make an emergency call.
One office worker told the Rocky Mountain News she was about a minute from getting into her parked SUV -- one of three vehicles struck by the Bonanza (file photo of type, below) -- when she heard the plane come down.
"I was just leaving the building," Knight said. "I heard a loud noise. I saw the pilot. He was walking around very dazed with a fire extinguisher. I just ran inside and yelled to my co-workers."
Firefighters cleaned up some spilled fuel, and secured the scene. Investigators with the FAA and NTSB arrived at the scene Wednesday.
