The nursery opened in 1957 and has had about six or seven planes crash there since it opened, Dan Studebaker vice president of Studebaker Nurseries said.
“We’re always aware that planes are flying out, they practice landing and taking off,” he said.
No one was killed in the crash, but three people were injured.
“We had some people caring for the plants and they’re the ones that found it and reported it,” Studebaker said.
The Pilot, 45-year-old Nathan G. McBride, of New Carlisle, and two passengers were taken to Miami Valley Hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening, according to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash initially appears to have happened because of engine failure, according to the patrol.
“It’s a miracle, if you looked at that plane you couldn’t believe anyone walked away from it,” Studebaker said. “It was all twisted metal, it looked like someone could have easily lost their life.”
McBride had just taken flight from the Andy Barnhart Memorial Airport, which is on Ohio 571 east of New Carlisle, prior to the aircraft crashing in a field at the nursery, according to the patrol.
Bethel Twp. Fire and Rescue were among the first responders at the scene.
Bethel Twp. Fire Chief Jacob King told the Dayton Daily News at the scene that two of the occupants suffered minor injuries while one suffered a more significant injury, but all were stable.
“Fortunately they were not too far off the ground and they weren’t going too fast,” Studebaker said.
King said the aircraft struck a greenhouse on the nursery property, but no one on the ground was hurt.
“It’s easily repairable, there wasn’t that much plant damage,” Studebaker said.
A Clark County hazardous materials team responded to the scene to contain a large amount of fuel that leaked from the wrecked plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene and is conducting an investigation.
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