The last day here in Addison, Texas and the 2026 ARFF Leadership Symposium... Always great to meet up with old friends while making new ones!
Here are the stories for today...
Safe home to everyone traveling from the show today and tomorrow...
Tom
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Elderly woman hospitalized after small plane skids off airport runway in Upland
by: Lily Dallow
An elderly woman has been hospitalized in San Bernardino County after a plane crashed just feet away from the Cable Airport runway on Wednesday morning.
Details are limited, but Sky5 was overhead at the scene around 11 a.m., where a small aircraft was seen resting upside down on a hill surrounding the tarmac in Upland.
KTLA’s Rich Prickett pointed out the plane’s tracks that led from the runway to its landing point, suggesting the plane skidded off the runway and landed partially in a nearby street.
According to Prickett, it was not immediately clear how many passengers were onboard at the time or if there were any serious injuries, but an aerial view showed fire personnel assessing at least one person at the scene.
“The plane itself looks to be fairly well intact,”
reported Prickett, “so injuries are likely minor to moderate.”
In an update provided later Wednesday, officials from San Bernardino County Fire said there were “two souls” on board during the time of the crash, including a pilot and an elderly woman passenger.
The pilot was not injured, fire officials stated, but the woman was evaluated and transported to a local hospital as a precaution.
“It appeared that the small aircraft was unable to stop within the runway distance,” officials said. “The plane struck a soil based embankment, which acts as a safety feature at the end of the runway, and overturned. Both occupants were seat belted. No fire or any other injuries were reported.”
https://ktla.com/news/inland-empire/small-plane-skids-off-airport-runway-in-san-bernardino-county/
Small Plane Crashes Off Runway At St. Mary’s County Airport, No Injuries Reported
by JB - Senior News Producer
CALIFORNIA, Md. — Emergency crews responded Wednesday afternoon after a small single-engine aircraft crashed just off the runway at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport.
Fire and EMS units were dispatched at
approximately 4:10 p.m. on March 11, 2026, to the airport located at 44200 Airport Road in California for a reported aircraft incident.
According to dispatch information, the aircraft had crashed just off the runway near the approach end of Runway 29. Two people were reported to be on board the plane.
First responders arriving at the scene found the occupants had already exited the aircraft. Authorities confirmed there were no reported injuries.
Firefighters secured the area while law enforcement officers from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist. Emergency personnel also checked the aircraft for hazards and ensured the scene was safe.
The aircraft came to rest in a grassy area near the runway.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command and other agencies responded to assist and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
No additional details about the aircraft or what led to the incident have been released.
Small Plane Crashes Off Runway At St. Mary’s County Airport, No Injuries Reported
NTSB Prelim: Tailwind W-8
The Airplane Sustained Extensive Damage To The Fuselage And Wooden Wings Consistent With A High-Energy Impact
Location: Poplar Grove, IL Accident Number: ERA26FA114
Date & Time: February 14, 2026, 16:00 Local Registration: N9424H
Aircraft: Tailwind W-8 Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On February 14, 2026, about 1600 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Tailwind W-8 airplane, N9424H, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Poplar Grove, Illinois. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to witnesses, the pilot attended a local fly-in event at Cottonwood airport (1C8), Rockford, Illinois, and was returning to Poplar Grove Airport (C77) at the time of the accident. The pilot departed 1C8 about 15 minutes before the accident. The pilot was not in communication with air traffic control during the approximately 13 nm flight. A witness who was working in his driveway when he heard the airplane stated that it sounded louder than normal. When he looked up, the airplane was in a nosedive and then impacted the ground in his yard.
The airplane impacted the ground between two homes in a residential community about .7 nm south of C77. The airplane came to rest inverted on a magnetic heading of 189º at an elevation of 839 ft. The airplane sustained extensive damage to the fuselage and wooden wings consistent with a high-energy impact. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site.
The engine was embedded about 3 ft into the ground. The propellor hub and remnants of the wooden propellor were impact separated and buried beneath the engine. The engine oil pan was crushed, and the engine was separated from the firewall. Approximately 3 gallons of fuel was observed in the impact crater when the engine was removed.
A portable iFly 740b gps was recovered from the accident site and forwarded to the NTSB vehicle recorders laboratory for data download. The airplane wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
76 Years ago today: On 12 March 1950 A Fairflight Avro Tudor crashed following a loss of control while on approach to Llandow RAF Station, United Kingdom , killing 80 occupants; 3 survived the accident.
| Date: | Sunday 12 March 1950 |
| Time: | 14:50 |
| Type: | Avro 689 Tudor 5 |
| Owner/operator: | Fairflight |
| Registration: | G-AKBY |
| MSN: | 1417 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1947 |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce Merlin 621 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 80 / Occupants: 83 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Llandow - United Kingdom |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Dublin Airport (DUB/EIDW) |
| Destination airport: | Llandow RAF Station |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
A Fairflight Avro Tudor crashed following a loss of control while on approach to Llandow RAF Station, United Kingdom , killing 80 occupants; 3 survived the accident.
Avro Tudor G-AKBY was chartered for a return flight from Llandow, Wales to Dublin (DUB), Ireland. The passengers attended a rugby match between the teams of Ireland and Wales.
While on final approach to Llandow's runway 28 there was a slight tendency to undershoot. When 800 yards from the runway and at a height of 150 feet there was an additional use of power followed by the sudden application of full throttle. The aircraft rose steeply to 300 feet attaining a nose-up attitude of 35 degrees to the vertical. The aircraft then stalled and crashed into a field 2500 feet short of the runway.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The loading conditions of the aircraft which gave a centre of gravity position too far aft and outside the limit in the relevant Certificate of Airworthiness and therefor insuffucient elevator control under conditions of low speed and acute instability."
