There was a plane crash at the Sandy Creek airpark in eastern Bay County. The pilot is in the hospital and listed in serious condition.
The plane, a 1948 Cessna 170 single engine aircraft, crashed in Sandy Creek around 9:50 this morning.
The pilot was identified as 40-year-old Jeff Meinel. He was transported to Bay Medical Center by private citizens where he is reported to be in serious condition.
It’s not known what caused the plane to go down. It had just taken off and the engine sputtered. The pilot turned around and was trying to land when he ended up in a retention pond. Sources at the scene say 15 to 25 gallons of fuel is leaking from the tanks of the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the cause of the crash.