Fatal plane crash in Iola in 2023 (Photo courtesy: NTSB)
IOLA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A fatal plane crash in Iola was likely caused by pilot error, according to a federal report released Thursday.
The crash of the Piper J5A happened on Aug. 19, 2023, shortly after Bruce Flannery, 78, of Gladstone, Mich., took off from Central County Airport.
“Recorded GPS device data showed the airplane made several turns around the airport and then proceeded in the direction of and onto a grass taxiway with a prevailing tailwind, where it was found nosed over,” the National Transportation Safety Board report states. “The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane after landing on a grass taxiway with a tailwind, which resulted in a nose over.”
The toxicology report found several substances in the Flannery’s system but there was no evidence of “impairing effects,” the report states.
Flannery had flown from Escanaba, Mich., to Iola for an inspection. The plane’s annual inspection was due about 11 months before the crash.
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