Tragedies Averted in 3 Airplane Incidents

A big weekend of flying is on the way, but Thursday was a bad day for airplanes in Ventura County.

One plane at Camarillo Airport experienced engine problems, another skidded off the runway and an antique plane at Santa Paula Airport nose-dived after touching down.

Although no one was injured in the incidents, it was an alert and experienced pilot who kept the Ford Tri-Motor in Santa Paula from suffering severe damages and hurting the two people aboard, one onlooker said.

“Thanks to the pilot, no one was injured,” said Dan Gray, a pilot and mechanic at the Santa Paula Airport. “We could have had a pretty bad mess on our hands.”

The 1928 Tri-Motor, which suffered minor damages, is one of several antique airplanes that will be zipping across the Ventura County skies in the next few days to participate in the Santa Paula Air Show.

Scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the show will include an exhibit of antique aircraft--including American Eagle, Waco, Travelair, Curtiss and Stearman planes.

Thursday’s unfortunate lead-in to the festivities began about 12:30 p.m., when Ronald Mulhern’s Cessna 170 experienced engine problems a few minutes after takeoff from Camarillo Airport, authorities said.

After his engine quit, Mulhern was forced to land in an open field along Beardsley Road about two miles north of the airport.

“He did a really good job of landing,” Airport Manager Jeff Rountree said. “He kept it upright.”

Thirty minutes later, a student pilot skidded off the runway while practicing touch-and-go landings in a Cessna 150, Rountree said. The aircraft remained upright and nobody was injured.

As a precaution, Ventura County firefighters were called out to both scenes.

In Santa Paula, the Tri-Motor took a nose dive in front of about 60 aviation enthusiasts who had come to welcome the aircraft.

Pilot Pete Mason had touched the ground and was making a U-turn when the plane swerved and nosed down, leaving its tail up in the air. Mason, a pilot for more than 20 years, managed to maneuver the plane and prevent it from turning over, Gray said.

The incident happened because the right-side brakes locked while the aircraft was landing, Gray said.

Bruce Dickenson, another pilot flying in the Tri-Motor, said they knew something was wrong when they touched down and the plane began swerving to the right.

“We had a perfect flight,” said Dickenson, who had gone to Las Vegas with Mason to fetch the plane for the show.

The only damage to the plane, which is used for scenic tours over the Grand Canyon, was a destroyed propeller.

Those watching said they feared the incident would hurt the air show this weekend.

“I was shocked. I thought something really bad was happening,” said Shirley Owens, who lives near the airport. “It’s really sad that it happened today.”

The show, which is held every three years, will attract local and out-of-town pilots who will perform two hours of aerobatics each afternoon.

Aviation aficionados also will be able to take plane rides, and local restaurants will sell food and drinks in booths around the airport.

To honor the airport’s 65th birthday, boosters will re-create the August, 1930, scene of the day the landing field was dedicated.

Actors in period costume will stroll among historical displays of period planes, automobiles, trucks and other relics.

Air show profits will benefit Santa Paula Memorial Hospital.

Correspondent Paul Elias contributed to this story.

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FYI

The Santa Paula Airport Air Show runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 822 Santa Maria St. A $3 donation per person, including children, is requested. Prices for airplane rides will vary. For information call 933-1155.