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Ultralight aircraft crashes onto Iowa home’s roof after takeoff

The pilot lost control while taking off from Abel Island Airport, striking power lines before his aircraft landed upside down on a rural Guttenberg home’s roof

Ultralight aircraft crashes onto Iowa home's roof after takeoff.jpg

A multicolored ultralight aircraft struck power lines and crashed onto the roof of a home on Abel Island near Guttenberg, Iowa, on Oct. 3 after losing control during takeoff. Pilot Gary Fisher, 75, of Monticello, sustained minor injuries; the FAA and NTSB are investigating.

Sheriff Brent W. Ostrander, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

By John McGlothlen
The Gazette

GUTTENBERG, Iowa — A Monticello man lost control of his ultralight aircraft and crashed onto the roof of a rural Guttenberg home Saturday on Abel Island, according to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.

About 6 p.m., Gary Fisher, 75, lost control while attempting to take off from Abel Island Airport . The aircraft struck power lines and crashed onto the roof of a house, according to a news release.

| MORE: The aircraft crash response gap every EMS agency should close

Photos provided by the sheriff’s office show the aircraft upside down on the roof. Fisher sustained minor injuries in the crash.

The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Guttenberg Fire Department and Police Department, Guttenberg Ambulance Service and Alliant Energy assisted at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

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