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Pilot OK in WWII-era plane crash in Ocala

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2009

TAMPA - Ocala police and fire departments responded Saturday to a plane crash at Ocala International Airport, police said.

Gail Kirchner, 62, of Ocala, was flying her WWII Advance Trainer, also known as an AT6 Trainer, from the Leeward Air Ranch to Ocala International Airport when part of the plane's front landing gear collapsed upon landing, causing the plane to leave the runway, according to police reports. There was no major damage and she was not injured.

The main runway was closed for about 90 minutes while airport management responded and the Federal Aviation Administration was notified, police said.

Kirchner, a local pilot with more than 30 years of flight experience, was en route to the Ocala airport with her 1940s-era single-engine military plane to practice landings. She was alone in the aircraft.

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