U.S. Marine Corps L-19s in the Korean War. By USN - U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News February 1952 [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3698026
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — The pilot of a Korean War-era aircraft is ok following the crash of the L-19 airplane they were flying.
The mishap occurred at the Sioux Falls Airport late Friday afternoon following its landing.
Airport manager Dan Letellier said the pilot went to a local hospital, was released and “is doing fine.”
Letellier gave the following statement to KELO.com News Friday evening:
(At) approximately 4:45 (pm) a privately owned single-engine aircraft (L19) landing on rwy (runway) 3/21 and exited the runway into the grass near the intersection of both runway 3/21 and 15/33. Pilot was taken to a local hospital for observation but appears to be fine. Runway 3-21 was reopened at 6pm. However, there were several commercial flights that diverted or canceled during that time frame.
The L-19/O-1 Cessna Bird Dogs were built between 1950 and 1959. The U.S. Air Force and other U.S. military branches and foreign air forces used it as an observation and liaison aircraft. It is a single-engine aircraft. It seats a pilot and passenger in tandem front to back. The USAF retired the fleet of L-19’s in 1974.
KELO.com News is attempting to get the tail number of the aircraft to find out who the owner of the aircraft is. Some Commemorative Air Force squadrons own and fly L-19s. The Sioux Falls Joe Foss Squadron of the CAF has a similar, older aircraft, the World War II-era Stinson L-5 Sentinel.
The National Transportation Safety Board had not yet issued a tweet about whether they were investigating the accident.
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