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February 19, 2009

Chester woman injured in ultralight crash in Windham

Witnesses help free pilot from wreckage

By Eric Parry

WINDHAM — A Chester woman flying an ultralight plane near Cobbetts Pond crashed into an empty home Tuesday, but escaped with non-life-threatening injuries.

Windham fire Chief Tom McPherson said they received the call at 2:53 p.m. after Marjorie Venditti, 47, of Lane Road in Chester crashed a homemade plane into an unoccupied home at 23 Harvest Road.

When fire officials arrived at the house, the plane was in pieces and Venditti was covered with debris. McPherson said she had to be extricated from the plane, but suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She was brought to Parkland Medical Center.

Venditti was in stable condition last night, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Before it crashed, the plane struck the roof of the house next door. Monica Jangro was folding laundry in a first-floor bedroom when the plane struck and tore a hole in her roof.

"I thought my house blew up," Jangro said yesterday afternoon.

She looked out the kitchen window and saw the plane on the ground next to the house. The orange-and-white plane broke into pieces, but the home was not damaged.

Jangro said she could hear the woman yelling for help, but couldn't see her until electricians working in the house she hit lifted debris off her. Jangro ran outside with a blanket for Venditti.

The plane Venditti was flying weighed less than 254 pounds and therefore doesn't require the pilot to have a license.

The FAA was contacted by local officials shortly after the crash, but they will not investigate because the agency doesn't regulate ultralight plane flight.

"We will assist local police, but we will not investigate," FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. "The ultralight is not considered an aircraft."

In addition to Windham, Salem fire officials helped at the scene.

The plane was taken from the scene by flatbed truck and was stored at the Windham Police Department last night.

Initial reports indicated there was a fuel leak from the crash, but McPherson said the spill was minimal and contained by fire officials.

Police said witness reports indicated the plane took off from Cobbetts Pond, which is less than half a mile from the crash. Before crashing, the plane had lost altitude and circled the area several times.

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Chester woman injured in ultralight crash in Windham
by By Eric Parry , , Thu Feb 19, 2009, 06:57 AM EST
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