Suamico Man Sustains Minor Injuries in Town of Rosendale Airplane Crash

A 70-year-old man from Suamico sustained minor injuries in
a plane crash in the Town of Rosendale this (Monday) afternoon. A caller first
reported the crash near the area of Triangle Road and County Highway M just
before 1 o’clock. The witness told dispatchers the airplane had crashed into a
field and that the plane was still occupied. The man, who was identified as
Gary W. Dornfeld of Suamico, was able to get out of the airplane on his own.
Dornfeld told Sheriff’s Deputies he was flying from Pulaski to Juneau when he
encountered what he described as “turbulent air or wind shear like conditions.”
Dornfeld said he could not maintain control of the airplane, so he attempted to
make an emergency landing in the field – something that the conditions he was
experiencing made even more difficult. The airplane, a 1946 Engineering & Research
415-C Fixed Wing Single-Engine airplane, sustained significant damage as a
result of the crash.

Dornfeld was transported by ambulance to Ripon Medical
Center for evaluation and treatment of his injuries. The crash remains under
investigation by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Federal
Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.