FAA: Pilot made forced landing on flight to Wheeling
A pilot who escaped from his plane with minor injuries Monday evening was on a flight from Martinsburg, West Virginia, to Wheeling, West Virginia, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot, Csaba Ladislao Magassy, of McLean, Virginia, contacted the FAA when the engine of his Cessna C210 failed. Officials directed him to a field in Ohiopyle along Kentuck Road, where he attempted to make an emergency landing and crashed at about 4:50 p.m. He was taken to the hospital with a minor leg injury. The plane caught fire after the pilot escaped, and the plane was destroyed. He was the only person on board.
The Cessna took off from Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport/Shepherd Field in Martinsburg and was headed to Wheeling Ohio County Airport, according to the FAA.
Magassy’s airmen certificate on the FAA database shows he holds a commercial pilot license. He was issued a second-class medical certificate July 2017.
FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac said medical certificates are generally valid for a minimum of 12 months. She referenced a privacy act, saying his expiration date cannot be released publicly without written permission from the pilot. The status of his pilot’s certification will be investigated during the administration’s investigation, she said.
The FAA is continuing its investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident, officials said.