Pilot not injured in plane crash at Gulf Park Estates

The pilot of an ultra light-weight plane escaped injuries when he made a crash landing in the yard of a home in Gulf Park Estates, officials said.

The one-seat plane, with a 4-gallon gas tank, was having mechanical problems before the crash Wednesday morning, Jackson County Emergency Services Director Earl Etheridge said.

The plane crashed into a wooden privacy fence at a home on Marguerite Drive.

“The pilot tried to make it into an open field and unfortunately, he didn’t make it. He’s not hurt. He just ran into a fence,” Etheridge said.

James Hitterman had departed from the Ocean Springs Airport to test-fly the plane and was in the air about 15 minutes when the plane lost power, Sheriff Mike Ezell said.

A homeowner in the neighborhood near Ocean Springs heard a loud noise and went outside to discover a crashed plane in the yard, he said.

This story was originally published October 11, 2017 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Pilot not injured in plane crash at Gulf Park Estates."