Two injured in 'aborted takeoff' at Palm Springs airport

Two people were injured after an airplane crashed during an "aborted takeoff" at the Palm Springs International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.



"It doesn't appear anyone was seriously injured," Bell said.

The Palm Springs Fire Department confirmed that two people were taken to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Airport Executive Director Tom Nolan said the airport shut down for about 50 minutes while the scene was cleared. He estimated about six flights - arriving and departing -  were delayed during that period.

Officials used a flatbed truck to remove the biplane from the runway at about 2 p.m. and regular airport traffic resumed.

Nolan referred other questions to museum officials.

The single-engine plane is a 1940s-era Stearman, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

It was donated to the museum in January 2010 by Indian Wells residents Wayne and Laura Hoffman, according to Desert Sun archives. The plane was often seen flying from the airport and circling the area.

The FAA has been notified and the plane has been stored in a hangar pending an investigation, Bell said.

It's the third incident since October involving an airplane that departed from the Palm Springs airport.

On Oct. 17, Robert Trimble was on his way home to Santa Barbara when his Piper PA29 crashed northwest of Morongo Valley in a remote mountain range about 7,500 feet above sea level, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Trimble died.

Trimble, a Vietnam War veteran, had flown in to the air museum so he could donate a POW/MIA bracelet that belonged to a fellow soldier. He was accompanied by his friend, Terri Day, who also died in the crash.

Later, on Jan. 28, a 1969 Piper departed from the airport and crashed near Santa Rosa, killing the two people on board. The victims were identified as Santa Rosa residents Donald MacKenzie, 69, and Marsha Gastwirth, 68.

The plane was bound for Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa. It crashed in a rural area about two miles from the airport.

(Culled from thedesertsun.com)