BREAKING NEWS: Vintage plane crashes on approach to Nantucket Airport
By Jason Graziadei
I&M Staff Writer
A single-engine vintage airplane crashed into a wooded area Saturday on its approach to Nantucket Memorial Airport.
The pilot of the plane, Jeff Marks, who was the only person aboard, survived the crash and managed to walk out to a nearby road where he was met by State Police. Marks was taken by ambulance to Nantucket Cottage Hospital to be treated for facial lacerations, according to Fire Chief Everett Pierce.
"He had walked out to the road," State Trooper Kevin Bates said.
The plane went down approximately 200 yards north of Milestone Road in a small clearing surrounded by trees and brush around 3:30 p.m. At the scene, the plane appeared to be relatively unscathed by the crash, with both wings intact and little damage to the exterior. The fuel tanks also did not rupture on impact and there was no sign of fire around the plane.
The navy blue vintage plane, with "Six of Diamonds" written on the nose and "El Toro" on the wings, was based at Nantucket Memorial Airport and is owned by Bill McGrath, the president of Island Airlines.
Pierce said he was unsure what caused the crash, but said the pilot must have been skilled to have brought it down in the manner he did.
"Whatever went wrong, he handled it very well," Pierce said.
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