Beulaville man recovering after ultralight crash Sunday

PINK HILL - A local man injured when his ultralight aircraft crash-landed Sunday evening is out of the hospital and quickly recovering, according to an associate of his.

The pilot, Shannon Coleman of Beulaville, is a member of the Pink Hill Aero Club along with Ernest Hurst.

Hurst, a longtime member and past president of the club, was working on his farm when he saw Coleman's ultralight come down across the road from him.

He and other witnesses said Sunday that rescue workers pulled Coleman from the wreckage and loaded him onto an EastCare helicopter. Hurst said Coleman was released from Pitt County Memorial Hospital on Monday and has since paid a visit to him at the farm.

"Everything is fine," Hurst said.

Although the cause of the crash is currently unknown, Dick Knapinski of the Experimental Aircraft Association said ultralights' small size makes them more vulnerable to high winds than larger aircraft, although pilots of large and small aircraft face similar safety risks.

He said ultralight pilots typically fly during the early morning or evening when the air is still. The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots to fly over lightly populated areas.

Coleman was flying near West Pleasant Hill Road, which runs past livestock farms plus scattered houses and trailers.

"The aircrafts, basically, are designed for low-speed, low-altitude flight, strictly recreational," Knapinski said.

Ultralights first became popular in the 1970s when hang glider enthusiasts put motors on their gliders.

"It's an easy to maintain, personal flying machine for those pilots who simply want an opportunity for a very simple way to go flying," Knapinski explained.

David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.