Stephenville, TX — Two people were injured this past Friday morning, March 27, 2015 after a small plane crashed in rural Stephenville. The accident happened on Friday morning just after the pilot had taken off from Clark Field Municipal Airport. Authorities later identified the pilot and his passenger as York Gill, 32, and Christy Stransky, 30.
According to their reports, Gill was piloting his small red-and-white Piper airplane from the airport that morning when he encountered some engine problems almost immediately after takeoff.
The plane started to lose altitude near a residential area and Gill was forced to crash-land the plane as close to Highway 67 as he could. He missed and went into a nearby field, narrowly escaping a small house in the process.
Both Gill and Stransky were taken to hospitals for their injuries, and Gill was said to be in serious condition. HE was described as the owner and pilot of the plane, the FAA confirmed, and works as a rodeo cowboy. Two dogs were also on the plane at the time and had to be rushed to a vet.
The plane then
Map of Stephenville
Commentary:
Engine problems can mean a lot of things, but sometimes it’s indicative of something defective with the plane (or a part therein) itself. Now, I want to be clear that I don’t know much more about this crash than the news at this point, but I have handled aviation accidents before, and I can tell you right now that the biggest hindrance in successfully litigating a case is the initial investigation done by the FAA and NTSB. Yes, their work is vital and important, but it can take 6 months just to get a preliminary report, and who knows how much evidence has been lost or destroyed in the meantime? If something else beyond just mechanical problems is going on here, then it may be best to have an independent investigation done to really make sure all the bases are being covered, so to speak.
— Grossman Law Offices
