A small single engine aircraft crash-landed at the Gaston’s Fly-In Landing Strip Sunday morning, June 17th, at approximately 10:15 AM.  On board were three persons.  The pilot was 46 year old ERIC S. NEFF of Norfolk, Virginia, and both the co-pilot and the passenger were from Nashville, Tennessee.  The co-pilot reported he sustained a minor injury.  Neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured.

     ERIC NEFF stated he was doing a fly-over at Gaston’s to check the condition of the landing strip.  He banked hard and the engine lost power.  He said he attempted to land on the field, but saw that pedestrians were walking across the landing strip in the path of the plane.  The plane ultimately came down and landed on its belly in a hay field near the landing strip.  The aircraft was a 1996 A-36 model single engine fixed-wing plane registered to Flygare LLC of Norfolk, Virginia.

     The incident was referred to the FAA for investigation.

/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff