"Plane crashes at Nut Tree Airport"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Plane crashes at Nut Tree Airport
By Danny Bernardini
The Vacaville (CA) Reporter


A plane crash at the Nut Tree Airport Saturday afternoon closed the runway
for more than two hours, however both men inside the Glasstar plane walked
away from the accident. 

No injuries were reported in the crash that occurred just before 2 p.m. as
the fixed-wing single engine plane carrying two men attempted to land,
according to the Vacaville Fire Department. 

Although no information on who was in the plane or what happened during the
incident could be given out until the two individuals could be interviewed,
FAA records show the plane belonged to Richard Waltermire of Fairfield. 

According to witnesses, the plane was flying awkwardly while approaching the
runway for a landing. The plane ended up in a gully near a small creek about
20 to 30 yards from the runway after bouncing a few times. 

Officials closed the airport around 2:45 p.m. as they waited for
investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National
Transportation Safety Board to arrive. Because there were no injuries,
neither office ever came to the scene. 

The airport reopened around 5 p.m., after airport staff were able to pull
the aircraft from the ditch and inspect the runway for any debris. Crews
from Solano County Environmental Health Services arrived shortly after to
remove fuel that had leaked into a small creek near the accident scene. 

Firefighters created dams on either side of the spill to contain any fuel
that escaped from the aircraft. Nut Tree Airport Manager Andy Swanson said
there could have been as much as 10 gallons of fuel in the plane. 



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