The Niles Star

Flight student, pilot walk away from plane crash

A flight instruction lesson Monday ended with a plane crash in Berrien Springs. The Andrews University student and Granger, Ind. contract instructor were uninjured.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Monday, an Andrews University-owned single prop Piper PA 28R-200 on a training flight was involved in an accident at the Andrews Airpark. Residents of a house on Poole Drive in Berrien Springs, which overlooks Andrews Airpark, reported the crash.

Two individuals, an Andrews University student, and David Dodson, a commercial pilot and contract flight instructor from Granger, Ind., were onboard. The student’s name is being withheld due to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act restrictions because the accident occurred during instructional time.

The two were completing a maneuver and were on a landing approach when they experienced a hard landing. This resulted in the left-side landing gear collapsing and a blown front tire, causing the airplane to come to a stop just off the left side of Runway 13.

The Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department responded to the scene, then turned the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA is conducting a follow-up investigation to the accident and the aircraft involved.