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On Thursday, July 20, 79-year-old pilot Alan Moler died in a plane crash in Kearney, Missouri. Moler was flying a small aircraft that reportedly struck a power transmission line before plummeting into a bean field. The 79-year-old was reported dead at the scene of the wreckage. KMBC noted that he was the only person on the plane.
Trigger warning: this article concerns a fatal plane crash, the reader's discretion is advised
As reported by the Kansas City News, the aircraft involved in the incident was privately owned. The accident is under investigation, and authorities have yet to determine the specific circumstances behind the plane crash. Officials have not publicly released any further details about the victim.
The incident happened at approximately 10 am
KCTV5 reported that at the time of the incident, Alan Moler had just taken off from the Midwest Regional Air Center, en route to a Wichita airport.
At approximately 10 am, the aircraft reportedly began to descend, striking the transmission power lines before crashing into a bean field near NE 150th Street and Cordell Road. The plane contained 140 gallons of fuel.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders discovered the body of Alan Moler in a fiery wreckage. The agencies that scoped the scene included the Excelsior Springs and Kearney Fire departments.
They closed off the area as they cleaned out the wreckage. Additionally, Officials informed residents that the power may be out in some areas until the transmission lines are repaired.
Officials stated that there will be limited access to the areas of Cordell Street, 150th Street, and Shady Grove Road.
Private plane crash statistics in America
According to Gitnux, in 2020, America reported over 1,000 private plane crashes. In 230 of the cases, the accidents were fatal. As noted by data collected by the Federal Aviation Authority, extreme weather conditions account for almost 20% of accidents.
A Harvard University report stated that pilot errors account for almost half of the accidents involved in private plane crashes. Earl Weener, an aviation safety expert, said that more measures need to be taken to improve the standards for private pilots.
"The message that I've been trying to get out is that while the airline industry has improved their accident rate in the U.S. by almost 80 percent over the last 10, 12 years, the general aviation industry has been flat," Weener said.
Lyons and Simmons reported that private planes carry almost 200 times the risk as compared to commercial aircraft. In many cases, this is because the aircraft land at smaller airports with shorter runways, leading to dangerous circumstances.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Alan Moler was the owner of the plane that was involved in the accident.
