LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A small plane crashed in Louisville on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
The plane crashed at the intersection of Kresge Way and Breckenridge Lane while attempting to land at Bowman Field, said Darrell Watson, with the Louisville Regional Airport Authority.
The plane hit a vehicle on its way down and landed across the street from Jamestown Apartment Homes.
“I mean, it’s scary because they always fly, like, kind of close. So, like, it’s scary, like knowing, like, it could’ve easily, like, landed in my backyard on my roof, or my car could have been me coming home,” said Dee Rankin, who lives at Jamestown Apartments.
Three out of the four people involved in the crash are hospitalized and are in critical condition.
The plane had a pilot and a student pilot on board.
Louisville Aviation—a flight school at Bowman Field—was not involved with the accident, but shared what it’s like in the sky.
“It’s really fun. There’s a lot of attention to detail, and you need to be on it and in the moment, whenever you’re at work, but I have the best office view possible,” said Karyn Ranzau. Ranzau holds certifications as a Certified Flight Instructor, Certified Flight Instructor Instruments and Multi-engine Instructor for Louisville Aviation.
Ranzau has been flying for the last four years, and now she is a flight instructor. She said anytime she is teaching a student; she is fully responsible for the plane.
“So, I’ll brief them ahead of time what’s coming up, what’s the next step, What are we looking for, with enough time for me to recover or change the configuration of the plane before it becomes an unsafe situation,” she said.
If an unsafe situation unfolds, Ranzau said, they will follow checklists and evaluate the situation. She said everyday they train for that.
“Is there something going on with the airplane? Does it sound funny? Am I comfortable with the situation? What steps do I need to take to remedy the situation? And that’s a big part of our training,” Ranzau said.
A Piper PA-28 aircraft struck a vehicle and crashed on to Breckinridge Lane Friday evening, Watson said. Louisville Aviation was not involved in the crash, but Ranzau said, non-airport landings are extremely rare.
Spectrum News 1 listened to the archived air traffic control tower audio from yesterday’s flight. The pilot can be heard shouting “mayday” and he followed by saying “we have no throttle”.
“It’s heartbreaking, but it’s very, very rare and our hearts and prayers absolutely go out to the people involved. You know, the flight instructor, the student and any people on the ground who were involved or even witnessed it, I know it looked traumatic,” Ranzau said.
Ranzau said the incident shouldn’t deter anyone from learning to fly.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what led to the crash.
The FAA said preliminary reports are usually posted the next business day.