Plane skids off of runway while landing
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Photo by Bob Hutchinson The 1963 Beech Craft was stopped by a dirt berm.

A routine landing at the Blairsville Municipal Airport went awry, when an aircraft skidded off the east end of the runway and into a dirt berm.

The pilot, Steven M. Kantor, 53, of Plantation, FL, was the only occupant in the plane. He was not injured in the incident.

His aircraft, a 1963 Beech Craft 95-B55 (T42A) with registration number N731SK, was not quite so fortunate. The plane suffered damage to both the engines and the nose area, but did not appear to be leaking any fluids. The only other damage caused in the incident was the skid marks on the runway and the effects on the dirt berm.

The call reporting the crash came into the Blairsville Police Department at approximately 1:26 p.m. on Sunday, June 10. Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were also notified of the incident.

Kantor told authorities that he believed the nose tire blew out, pulling him sideways during the landing.

The scene was observed by Officer Phil Hunter of the Blairsville Police Department, Union County EMA Director Charles, and Robert Jones of the Union County Fire Department. The report filed by Officer Hunter stated that the officials "determined that it appeared that Kantor had undershot the runway." The report cites "60 ft. of tire imprint in the grass followed by approximately 40 ft. of tire 'skip,' with an additional 18-20 ft. of nose wheel imprint prior to hitting the runway."

It goes on to say that "on the runway there appeared to be approximately 60 ft. of light tire imprints/skid which faded then approximately 100 ft. before hard skip started, which carried approximately 300 ft. curving to the right then leaving the runway and travelling approximately 80-90 ft. through the grass before striking the dirt berm." Propeller marks were also evident in the runway with the skids.

Weather and pilot impairment were both ruled out as factors in the crash. Tanner's Towing removed the aircraft and placed it in a hanger at the airport.