ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — An investigation by Virginia State Police has found the cause of a plane crash to be a mechanical issue with the landing gear.
According to police, 45-year-old Harry Leiser of Rome, Pennsylvania was the pilot and sole occupant of the almost 60-year-old plane – a 1966 Cessna T-210 – that failed to deploy its landing gear before landing on the runway.
Leiser left Tangier Island at 3:50 p.m. for a ten minute flight to Melfa. Police said it appeared that as the aircraft approached Melfa airport for landing, the landing gear failed to deploy due to a mechanical issue. Police said that Leiser was unaware of the failed deployment, and as the plane touched down on its hull, it caused the propeller to hit the ground and skid to a stop.
State police said there was no fuel leak, and the only damage was to the aircraft. Leiser was uninjured.
