MATINICUS ISLAND — A small airplane clipped a power line and crashed while landing in windy conditions on an island 20 miles off the state’s coast today, killing the pilot.
The Cessna 207 flipped and crashed in woods on Matinicus Island after hitting the power line while attempting to land on the island’s dirt runway around 5:30 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said.
The plane’s owner, Penobscot Island Air, identified the pilot as 57-year-old Don Campbell.
The National Weather Service said there were sustained winds of 30 knots and gusts up to 44 knots around the time of the crash. But it was unclear if the weather was a factor in the crash. Penobscot Air chief pilot Roger Wolverton said details were scarce this evening.
The plane was carrying groceries and other freight to the island. It took off from the mainland about 15 minutes before it crashed shy of the airstrip, Wolverton said.
In July, a Penobscot Island Air Cessna crashed in the water a couple hundred yards off the island. All four people aboard survived that crash. Campbell wasn’t the pilot on that flight.
Because of the rough weather, the Coast Guard was enlisted this evening to transport Knox County deputies and a Camden fire extraction team from the mainland to the island, officials said.
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