A lawnmower operator is dead after he was hit by a Ryan PT-22 while cutting the turf runway at Frazier Airpark, near Hollister, California, on Aug. 7. KSBW TVreports Douglas Ralph Jackson, 75, died instantly when the aircraft hit the large riding mower he was on after landing. The unidentified pilot of the Ryan told authorities he didn’t see the mower as he landed at the private airpark about 10:30 a.m. San Benito County Sheriff’s Captain Eric Taylor said the pilot is cooperating with authorities.
“An older WWII-style ‘taildragger’ plane landed on the runway. The pilot did not see the male on the riding mower and struck him after landing,” Taylor said. The FAA and NTSB are investigating as to the cause of the crash. As of this point neither weather nor mechanics seem to be a factor. “The plane had completed its landing and struck the male after all wheels had touched down,” Taylor said. A passenger in the aircraft suffered a head injury in the collision but the pilot wasn’t hurt.
