Yup, Bob did have a little airplane crash in his J3 Piper Cub. We took a trip to the hospital (Bob in an ambulance) to make sure all was OK. After about 4 hours and a CT scan they pronounced him fine. A couple of scratches. After seeing the airplane, I was in awe of his heavenly (or something) protection. With few options he managed to land/crash in a little park area, avoiding houses and people, but there were trees that caught the wings. Here is the photo I took of the place where the plane came to an abrupt stop after spinning around.
phone photo of crash site in White Bear Lake Township
I was there right away (same time as the first emergency vehicle, the fire chief) since I had dropped him off and was going to meet him in Lake Elmo where he was intending to take the plane. He called me on my cell. So I found out about the emergency landing/crash landing at the same time I knew he was OK. Thank heavens again.
FAA investigation confirmed his suspicion that there was water in the gas line. A common problem, but one that is usually corrected by the preflight operations, but not this time for some reason.
Today, May 3, he is taking the wings apart in his shop and contemplating restoring the plane. A labor of love! I have to say I am impressed with his skill as a pilot (he got some kudos from the emergency people), and his vast knowledge of airplanes — his understanding and capability of performing the restoration.