An Edmonton pilot flying to an annual fly-in breakfast at Lacombe airport was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital with serious head injuries yesterday after his homemade aircraft crashed and split in two in a nearby field.
Herman Oostlander, 77, the only occupant of the two-seat, single-wing plane, was ejected when the plane crashed shortly after 8:30 a.m. north of the airport, said Lacombe police.
Oostlander was airlifted to Royal Alexandra hospital and was listed in critical condition last night.
Bob Jablonski, a local search and rescue volunteer, was on the scene right away and said the man had severe head injures.
“It wasn’t a pretty sight,” said Joblonski in a phone interview. “The plane was on the ground and the man was lying outside the aircraft.”
Lacombe police and Transport Canada are investigating.
-jeff.cummings@metronews.ca
