Four people were killed and two others injured on Saturday, July 29, following two separate aircraft accidents in Wisconsin.
The first accident involved a plane plunging into a lake. The second was a mid-air collision between two aircraft at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The latter accident occurred during the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture event, raising safety concerns within the aviation community. The injured parties were promptly transported to a nearby hospital and are currently in stable condition, as confirmed by EAA’s director of communications, Dick Knapinski.
The collision, which happened just before 12:30 pm, involved a Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA Eclipse 10 gyrocopter at the southern end of the EAA AirVenture flightline. The gyrocopter ended up on top of a parked plane, according to the Oshkosh Fire Department.
Following the incident, Wittman Airport authorities temporarily halted all aircraft operations for the initial investigation. Despite the accident, the afternoon’s air show at the EAA event proceeded as planned at around 2:30 p.m. It was confirmed that the aircraft involved in the collision were not part of the air show. The identities of the aircraft owners and attendees are still being verified.
The National Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead in the investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the collision.
The incident coincided with another fatal accident where two people perished when their T-6 Texan airplane crashed into Lake Winnebago, north of Oshkosh.
This year’s EAA AirVenture event, which began on Monday and was set to conclude on Sunday, has witnessed a total of five crashes in the region. However, the incidents prior to Saturday’s collisions did not result in serious injuries.
As investigations continue, the aviation community remains committed to enhancing safety measures for future events and flights.
