A light private airplane has crashed along U.S. Highway 5, 1 mile South of the Highway 5 and University Blvd intersection of Brent, at Dowdle Drive. The aircraft is a 1971 Cessna 210 according to aircraft registration records and is owned by an LLC with an address in Ft. Walton Beach, FL.
Brent and Centreville Volunteer Fire Departments responded to the scene and there appears to have been no fire from the looks of photos that have been provided by our reporter. A witness on the ground said he heard the engine sputtering when the aircraft flew over the Sawmeal restaurant. The pilot was attempting a landing to the North on Highway 5. The injured pilot exited the aircraft under his own ability but has been transported for medical observation.
The pilot filed a flight plan and departed the Tuscaloosa airport at 8:04 a.m. this morning destined for Baker, FL, a flight that should have taken one hour. His flight plan shows that he reached an altitude of 6600 ft before beginning a rapid descent some 17 minutes later. The crash site is 5.2 miles from the runway of the Bibb County Airport.
The pilot is reported to have told first responders that his engine lost oil pressure and he was attempting to land on Highway 5.
