Here are the stories for today...
Be safe out there!
Tom
Lincoln residents react to early morning helicopter crash
By: Evan Charney
LINCOLN — Brandi Lindstrom lives in Lincoln and
was awake with friends when a helicopter suddenly crashed in the Mid-Town Plaza parking lot right on Main Street just after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
“It’s literally like in the movies where it’s like slow motion, things flying past you, that was what it was like,” Lindstrom said.
Debris was scattered all across the parking lot, from bent metal pieces to shattered glass. She says she could tell there was a problem even before the crash.
“It was like right above the trees, you could tell it was gonna be a really hard landing,” Lindstrom said. The sign doesn’t have any lights or really anything to it to begin with; it was just an empty sign, so it would’ve been hard to see.”
It was hard to see because it was just after one in the morning, with the only lights visible being from emergency response vehicles blocking off the road.
“The more we watched, the lower they were getting,” said Lindstrom. "It sounded a little funny, and the next thing you know, they hit the pole and the helicopter crashed.”
When the helicopter crashed, it was in the process of landing to pick up a patient, as it was a Life Flight chopper coming in from Missoula.
The Life Flight Network said in a social media post: "Our Missoula-based aircraft and crew (LF 88) were involved in an accident in Lincoln, MT. There was no patient on board, and our team reported no injuries. We are deeply grateful that everyone is safe and able to return home to their families. At this time, our focus is on supporting the well-being of our team. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available."
Lindstrom and her friends could only watch as the chopper hit the ground.
As soon as the helicopter hit, Lindstrom sprang into action.
“I told my friends to run, but then I ran up here to help try to get them out of the helicopter,” Lindstrom said. "There was fuel leaking.”
Fuel soaked the ground beneath the shattered cab. Lindstrom said thankfully, emergency crews were quick to respond, and the pilot had already been pulled out, but there were two other people inside.
“It was just me and then the one officer, at the time, he already had the pilot out, and then we were all getting the other door open to get the other two out.”
Lindstrom says she was so thankful everyone walked away with no injuries.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined; the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation.
https://www.ktvh.com/news/lincoln-residents-react-to-early-morning-helicopter-crash
1 injured when plane crash lands near Lubbock airport
Adam D. Young, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
One person was injured when a single-engine
plane crash landed Tuesday evening near Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday after the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport tower reported a plane crash outside the airport and a fire near the intersection of North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and East Bluefield Street, according to a statement from LFR.
Fire crews arrived on scene to a small Cessna plane that underwent a forced landing into the field. This forced landing caused significant damage to the plane.
There were two occupants in the plane during the incident.
One of those individuals was transported for minor injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are actively investigating this incident.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/1-injured-plane-crash-lands-081039302.html
Plane crashes near Clemson University in South Carolina
Story by Connor Lomis
SENECA, S.C. (WBTV) - A plane crashed near
Clemson University on Tuesday morning, according to emergency services.
The crash reportedly happened around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 26, near Delta Rho Drive between Clemson’s main campus and the Oconee County Regional Airport.
Officials said the pilot was the only person hurt and suffered minor injuries.
University police said the plane crashed after the pilot experienced engine failure and attempted to make an emergency landing.
University public safety reported the crash downed power lines, and knocked out a traffic light at Highway 93 and Seneca Creek Road.
Pilot dead after small plane from San Jose crashes in Merced County, deputies say
By Marc Anthony Lopez
MERCED COUNTY, Calif. -- A pilot has died after a
plane that took off from San Jose crashed in Merced County Tuesday evening, sheriff's officials said.
The Merced County Sheriff's Office says deputies arrived at the crash site near Interstate 5 between Santa Nella and Los Banos just after 7:40 p.m.
Sheriff Vern Warnke says the pilot encountered difficulty with the plane after taking off from San Jose.
He adds the plane was circling the area for about an hour before it nose-dived into the ground.
"We initially started this in hopes it would be a rescue operation, but, unfortunately, it's not that way," Sheriff Warnke said.
Investigators say the pilot was the only person on board. They confirmed that another pilot was following the downed plane, but do not know the reason why.
The pilot has not been identified.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are both involved in the investigation.
Drama: Plane lands at Arlanda with exploded tire
Amanda Norgren and Maja Andersson
A flight from Stockholm to Paris has made an
emergency landing at Arlanda after an alarm about a tire explosion.
181 passengers are on board.
“A tire explosion occurred during takeoff,” says Sara Eriksson, press manager at the Maritime and Air Traffic Control Center.
– I can understand that it may feel uncomfortable, but the landing took place without drama, says Charlotte Holmbergh, communications director at Norwegian.
An alarm has been received about a tire explosion on a passenger plane from Norwegian at Arlanda .
– During takeoff, a tire explosion occurred. There was some tire debris on the runway and the plane is now circling over Arlanda. A “fly by” will be conducted where an assessment will be made of how the approach should be carried out, says Sara Eriksson, press manager at the Maritime and Flight Control Center (JRCC).
– It's hard to speculate on how serious this is. We take all incidents like this seriously. It's not very common, she says.
Norwegian: “Technical error”
The plane was en route to Paris but after the tire explosion the plane was forced to circle over the airport. 181 passengers are on board.
– The plane took off as planned. However, once in the air, the pilot had to turn around and return to Arlanda due to technical problems, says Elina Skari, press spokesperson at Norwegian.
An operation is underway and police, ambulance and rescue services are on site.
The plane has now made a so-called flyby and then flew at low altitude over the runway for an inspection.
– During the flyby, they saw that a tire was broken and therefore they are now preparing for a “hard landing,” says Elina Skari.
At just after 11 a.m., the plane was able to land, and everything reportedly went well.
– I can understand that it may feel uncomfortable, but the landing took place without drama, says Charlotte Holmbergh, communications director at Norwegian.
A person at Arlanda saw when the plane took off and how there was a queue afterwards.
"The plane had to be diverted to another runway and cars went out to inspect the runway," the person says.
https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/flyg-fran-arlanda-tvingas-till-forbiflygning/
NTSB Final Report: Champion Aeronca 7AC
Non-Certificated Pilot Stated That He Departed From A Local Airport To Drop Candy For Family Members
Location: Estherwood, Louisiana Accident Number: CEN25LA161
Date & Time: April 19, 2025, 15:00 Local Registration: N83871
Aircraft: Champion Aeronca 7AC Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The non-certificated pilot stated that he departed from a local airport to drop candy for family members on his private airstrip. As he approached the airstrip, he descended to 200 ft agl and then descended further to drop the candy. The pilot said he got distracted as he looked over his left shoulder during the attempted candy drop, and the airplane impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot stated there was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane that would have precluded normal airplane operation.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The non-certificated pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering at low altitude that resulted in a descent and impact into terrain.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
19 Years ago today: On 27 August 2006 Delta Connection flight 5191, a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-100, operated by Comair crashed during takeoff from the wrong runway at Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, Kentucky,. USA, killing 49 occupants; 1 survived the accident.
| Date: | Sunday 27 August 2006 |
| Time: | 06:07 |
| Type: | Canadair CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ-100ER |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Connection, opb Comair |
| Registration: | N431CA |
| MSN: | 7472 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12048 hours |
| Cycles: | 14536 flights |
| Engine model: | General Electric CF34-3A1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 49 / Occupants: 50 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, KY (LEX) - United States of America |
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, KY (LEX/KLEX) |
| Destination airport: | Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, GA (ATL/KATL) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
Delta Connection flight 5191, a Canadair Regional 
Jet CRJ-100, operated by Comair crashed during takeoff from the wrong runway at Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, Kentucky,. USA, killing 49 occupants; 1 survived the accident.
Comair Flight 5191 was a regularly scheduled flight bound for Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were 8 miles visibility, broken clouds at 5,000 feet, and no precipitation. Sunrise was at 7:03 AM, approximately one hour following the accident.
At 05:48 the CVR recorded automatic terminal information service (ATIS) information "alpha" which indicated that runway 22 was in use. About one minute later, the first officer told the air traffic controller that he had received the ATIS information. Two minutes later, the controller provided the crew of Flight 5191 departure information for their planned flight to Atlanta. At 5:52 a discussion among the flight crew was recorded on the CVR concerning which pilot would fly the airplane to Atlanta. It was decided that the first officer would be the flying pilot.
At 05:56, the captain stated, "Comair standard," which was determined to be part of the taxi briefing, and "Run the checklist at your leisure." At about 5:56, the first officer began the takeoff briefing, which is part of the before-starting-engines checklist. During the briefing he stated, "He said what runway...two four?" to which the captain replied, "It's two two." The first officer continued the takeoff briefing, which included three additional references to runway 22. After briefing that the runway end identifier lights were out, the first officer commented, "...Came in the other night it was like...lights are out all over the place." Investigators believed that what the first officer was referring to was on the previous day during a repositioning flight that landed on runway 22 at about 01:40 AM, the right runway edge lights after the intersection of runway 26 were out at the time.
Following the comment regarding the inoperative lighting, the first officer then stated, "Let's take it out and...take...(taxiway) Alpha. Two two's a short taxi." The captain called the takeoff briefing complete at about 05:57. At 05:58 the first officer called for the first two items on the before-starting-engines checklist, to which the captain commented that the before-starting-engine checklist had already been completed. The first officer questioned, "We did?" The first officer then briefed the takeoff decision speed (V1) as 137 kts and the rotation speed (VR) as 142 kts.
Flight data recorder (FDR) data for the accident flight started at about 05:58. FDR data showed that the pilot's heading bug on the multi function display (MFD) had been properly set to 227 degrees, which corresponded to the magnetic heading for runway 22.
At 05:59, the captain stated that the airplane was ready to push back from the gate. FDR data showed that at about 6:00 they started the left and right engines. At 06:02 the first officer notified the controller that the airplane was ready to taxi. The controller then instructed the flight crew to taxi the airplane to runway 22. This instruction at that time authorized the airplane to cross runway 26 (the intersecting runway) without stopping. The first officer responded, "Taxi two two." FDR data showed that the captain began to taxi the airplane at about 06:02. About the same time, a Sky West Flight 6819 departed runway 22, which would have been parallel to their taxi route at that time.
At this point, the captain called for the taxi checklist. Beginning at about 06:03, the first officer stated, "Radar terrain displays" and "Taxi checks complete." At about 06:04 another commercial transport airplane, American Eagle Flight 882, departed runway 22.
From about 06:03 to 06:04, investigators determined that the flight crew engaged in conversation that was not pertinent to the operation of the flight. At about 06:04 the first officer began the before-takeoff checklist and indicated again that the flight would be departing from runway 22.
At about 06:04, the report indicated that the captain stopped the airplane at the hold-short line for runway 26. To get to the hold-short line for runway 22, (their assigned runway) they should have crossed the end of runway 26 and continued on the connecting taxiway. Afterward, the first officer made an announcement over the public address system to welcome the passengers and completed the before-takeoff checklist. At about 06:05, while the airplane was still at the hold-short line for runway 26, the first officer told the controller that, "Comair one twenty one" was ready to depart. Three seconds later the controller responded, "Comair one ninety one...fly runway heading. Cleared for takeoff." At 6:05, the captain began to taxi the airplane across the runway 26 hold short line. CVR recording showed that the captain called for the lineup checklist at the same time. About one second later, Comair Flight 5191 began turning onto runway 26. About 06:05, the first officer called the lineup checklist complete.
At about 6:06, the captain told the first officer, "All
yours," and the first officer acknowledged, "My brakes, my controls." FDR data showed that the magnetic heading of the airplane at that time was about 266 degrees, which corresponded to the magnetic heading for runway 26. At that point, the CVR recorded the sound of engines increasing in power. The first officer then stated, "Set thrust please." to which the captain responded, "Thrust set." Shortly after this response from the captain, the first officer stated, "(that) is weird with no lights," and the captain responded, "Yeah," two seconds later.
Approximately eight seconds later, the captain called, "One hundred knots," to which the first officer replied, "Checks." Approximately seven seconds later the captain called, "V-one, rotate," and then stated, "Whoa!" Investigators determined that the callout for V1 was six knots early, and the callout for VR was 11 knots early. It was also believed that the captain may have been reacting to seeing the end of the runway rapidly approaching.
The airplane impacted an earthen berm 265 feet beyond the end of runway 26, became temporarily airborne, then struck trees and burst into flames. Maximum airspeed recorded was 137 knots. The FDR ended at 06:06:36.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's failure to use available cues and aids to identify the airplane's location on the airport surface during taxi and their failure to cross check and verify that the airplane was on the correct runway before takeoff. Contributing to this accident were the flight crew's nonpertinent conversation during taxi, which resulted in loss of positional awareness and the Federal Aviation Administration's failure to require that all runway crossings be authorized only by specific air traffic control clearances."
