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Small plane has landing gear mishap

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

VIENNA — The pilot of a small airplane failed to deploy his landing gear while practicing “touch-and-gos” at the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport and damaged the propeller and underside of the fuselage Monday night.

A touch-and-go is an operation by an aircraft in which the aircraft lands and departs on a runway without stopping or exiting the runway, according to the Web site pilotsweb.com.

The pilot, Gary Moore, 66, of Hubbard, and his passenger, Byron F. Smith, 68, of Warren, were uninjured in the 10:07 p.m. accident, the Ohio State Highway Patrol Warren Post reported.

The plane slid down the runway before coming to a stop, the OSP said.

The OSP continues to investigate the crash and has notified the Federal Aviation Administration, which also plans an investigation.

Moore was flying a Piper PA-24-180 at the time of the accident.