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The Times-Standard
A 65-year-old Garberville flight instructor is in serious condition after the plane he was flying crashed and caught on fire at the Dinsmore Airport near State Route 36 on Friday afternoon.
The instructor, Dennis Lichti -- a well-known member of the local aviation community -- was initially flown to Mercy Medical Center in Redding with a broken leg, according to officials. A nursing supervisor at Mercy Medical Center said he was in “serious condition” and was transferred to the UC Davis Medical Center later in the afternoon. Lichti is a member of the Humboldt County Aviation Advisory Committee.
The plane's passenger, Southern Humboldt resident Tyler P. Lewis, is a 30-year-old male student pilot. He received minor injuries, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. The Federal Aviation Administration lists Lewis as the plane's owner.
The plane was certified on Jan. 18.
The plane crashed as it was landing and is reported to have possibly stalled, according to a press release from the sheriff's office. The release said Lichti was flying the plane.
Randal Locke, a member of the Lost Coast Aviators EAA1418, said Lichti is a fellow member.
The group is hoping to help Lichti with medical costs by holding a fundraiser at its Feb. 18 member meeting.
”Now we're hoping that he recovers. We're figuring out ways to help him come home in one piece,” Locke said.
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. Initial reports indicate that the plane, a Cessna 172E that was built in 1963, crashed under unknown circumstances off the end of the runway at the Dinsmore Airport, Gregor said. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash. Images from the scene showed the plane in flames.
According to the California Highway Patrol website's initial reports, the plane was carrying 29 gallons of fuel.
Gregor said Lichti suffered a broken leg, and the student suffered bruises and scrapes. Gregor said the NTSB should have a preliminary report available within one or two weeks.
”However, it typically takes NTSB months to come up with a probable cause for accidents,” he wrote in an email to the Times-Standard.
According to the sheriff's office press release, deputies and medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene around 12:30 p.m. along with a California Highway Patrol helicopter. A Trinity County Sheriff's Office deputy was also dispatched to the scene to assist because of the proximity of the airport to Trinity County.
Two Caltrans employees, Dave Ackley and Dain Heartman, were working on State Route 36 when they heard and saw the crash. They rushed to aid the injured pilot and passenger and assisted with removing both men from the plane before it caught fire and burned, the sheriff's office reported.
Sheriff's office Deputy Matt Helm said that Ackley and Heartman should be credited for their efforts.
”There is no doubt in my mind that they helped save these guys' lives,” Helm said.
Caltrans spokesman Scott Burger said Caltrans is happy the plane's occupants survived and is proud of its maintenance workers' heroism.
”We are glad to have helped and hope everyone is OK,” Ackley and Heartman said in a statement.
photo caption:
photo by Lyle Johnson/For the Redding Searchlight
Rescue crews work at the scene of a plane crash on Friday afternoon near the Dinsmore Airport in Humboldt County. The plane caught fire after two Caltrans employees helped remove the two occupants from the plane. The owner of the plane, Tyler Lewis of Garberville, received minor injuries, while the pilot, Dennis Lichti, also of Garberville remains in serious condition at UC Davis Medical Center.
