Pilots react to biplane crash at Palm Springs International Airport
Biplane pilots are reacting to a Biplane crash landing earlier this week at the Palm Springs International Airport.
The pilot has been released from the hospital and the Federal Aviation Administration is taking over the investigation.
The air museum said the passenger was a participant in its plane ride program but they can’t release any information on that person’s condition.
The vintage Stearman Biplane had engine troubles and landed hard at the airport Wednesday afternoon.
Kent Thomas is a pilot for Palm Springs Biplane Rides.
He’s been flying airplanes since the late ’70s.
“Airplanes, in my opinion, are a very safe way to travel, and the more training you have, the safer they are,” Thomas said.
Thomas said with the biplane, the landing is the hardest part.
“This airplane has the third wheel on the tail rather than on the nose. So when you land, this plane has a tendency to want to reverse directions quickly,” Thomas said.
After a quick look around, Thomas shared the secret to success.
“The key to flying any airplane, they say be ahead of the airplane, anticipating what’s going to happen in the very near future,” Thomas said.
After a 10 minute flight and a smooth landing, Thomas reflected on Wednesday’s crash.
“They were able to walk away from the crash, so actually that’s a good outcome,” Thomas said.
Fred Bell, with the Palm Springs Air Museum, said the plane is in the hands of the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board and it will be a while before they know what happened.
“We had an airplane act up, just as you would a car or something else that acted up. And we need to figure out why it did what it did. If there are corrective measures, we’ll take them at that time,” Bell said.
While the investigation continues Bell said it’s business as usual.
As for Thomas, he’s confident his plane will continue to be as safe as ever.
Officials at the Palm Springs Air Museum said they’ll continue running flights despite losing one of their aircrafts.
Palm Springs Biplane Rides will also continue operating as normal.
