Geezer goes down in Grangeville

Seventy-four year-old John Bokk of Winthrop, Washington is one lucky geezer. Bokk just barely escaped from his crashed Cessna 170A on 28 August before it burst into flames.

What exactly happened on departure from the private airstrip in Grangeville, Idaho depends on who Bokk is talking to, apparently. Either way, he's ok and the aeroplane's definitely not.

Per Bokk's chat with the NTSB:  "Shortly after takeoff the pilot heard a bang and the airplane veered right" before descending and impacting pine trees about 300 feet east of the departure end of the airstrip. Bokk's foot was caught under the crushed dashboard, but he was able to pull the foot out of the shoe and claw his way to freedom.

"A Federal Aviation Administration inspector and the county sheriff inspected the control cables of the airplane and found them all connected and continuous between the flight control surfaces and the cockpit controls," the NTSB report reads.

Bokk's chat with a hunter who heard the crash and helped him put out the ensuing fire indicates that a poorly running engine and stall may have been the real culprit. Either way, the hunter's description of the event is worth a read.....