2 escape injury in small plane crash in SW Kansas

JOHNSON CITY, Kan. (AP) — Two Oklahoma residents escaped injury when a small plane crashed in Kansas while the pilot was attempting a “fly-by” of people on the ground, The Kansas Highway Patrol said.

The crash occurred Tuesday afternoon about 7 miles east of the Stanton County Airport near Johnson City, WIBW reported.

The Cessna 120 fixed-wing, single-engine airplane crashed when the left wing hit the dirt and it spun into the ground during the “fly-by,” the patrol said.

The pilot, Blake Allen Gerard, 36, and a passenger, Matthew Allen Gerard, both of Collinsville, Oklahoma, were taken to Stanton County Hospital in Johnson City.

Neither had serious injuries, the patrol said. Both were wearing safety restraints when the crash occurred.