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A small airplane ended up upside-down in a DeLeon Springs field after it was forced to make an emergency landing Sunday afternoon, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
The single-engine Zenith STOL CH-750 plane was carrying pilot Herbert Weems, 79, of Holly Hill, and passenger Kenneth Brownell, 88, of Lake Helen. Both men suffered only minor injuries, and were taken to Florida Hospital DeLand to be treated.
Deputies responded to the scene of the crash around 3:27 p.m. Sunday.
Weems told a sheriff’s deputy that while in flight, an engine malfunction forced them to make an emergency landing in a field on Johnson Lake Road, just north of a Sparton Electronics facility.
“Herbert stated that he misjudged the slope of the ground, which led to the front tire being damaged on impact, causing the aircraft to flip over,” the responding deputy wrote in an incident report.
The Sheriff’s Office notified the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates accidents involving airplanes.
The plane, which the FAA classifies as an experimental aircraft since it was constructed from a kit, was built in 2012, according to the agency’s records.
