The pilot of an electric plane died in a crash near the airport of Stadskanaal on Saturday.
Translation by Traci White
RTV Drenthe reports that the plane crashed around 12:15 on Saturday. The pilot, Tjerk van Dijk, a 55-year-old man from Drachten, was resuscitated after the crash, but passed away shortly thereafter.
The aircraft, a Pipistrel Alpha Electro, was the only electric plane operating in the Netherlands and was completely destroyed in the crash. The plane crash occurred roughly three kilometres away from the Stadskanaal airport, where the plane was scheduled to take part in a demonstration on Saturday.
The plane departed from the Drachten airport with fully charged batteries, and it remains unclear what led to the crash. Van Dijk reportedly remained in contact with the radio tower and told them that he was coming in for a landing.
Dagblad van het Noorden reports that Van Dijk was an experienced pilot and a member of the Friesland Flight Club, which is based in Drachten. The 140 members of the club will be observing a week of mourning out of respect to the late pilot.
Photo source: Peter Olthof/Flickr
