Engine failure blamed in crash

Engine failure was the cause of an airplane crash in a cane field adjacent to East Woodlawn Ranch Road in Houma early last week, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

No official cause for the engine failure has been determined, but the plane did not have any fuel when initially investigated, according to FAA Manager of External Communications Lynn Lunsford.

“At this point, the investigation is still under way,” Lunsford said. “An initial examination of the aircraft, once we flipped it over, showed that the fuel tanks were dry.”

Pilot Jake Wunstell, 23, of Houma, attempted an emergency landing after the engine shut off. The airplane rolled onto its roof in the cane field.

“It’s impossible to say exactly [their speed during attempted landing], though those airplanes typically – when you’re coming into a landing, you’re in the vicinity of 60-80 mph,” Lunsford said.

The FAA is continuing its investigation into the crash and are trying to determine exactly what made the engine shut off in the Cessna 210. The aircraft was manufactured in 1984 and is a fixed wing, single-engine plane with four seats.

The aircraft crashed last Monday during the evening. Terrebonne Parish deputies and Houma police officers responded to the scene at approximately 8:12 p.m. and located the passengers, who had already exited the airplane. Wunstell suffered facial injuries and was brought to Terrebonne General Medical Center via Acadian Ambulance.

James Cloutier, 53, of Morgan City, was the lone passenger and reported no injuries. Cloutier is also the owner of the airplane, which is registered to Non Destructive Visual Inspection in Morgan City, according to a release by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The men were flying to Houma from New Mexico following a stop in San Angelo, Texas, the release said.

A Cessna 210 piloted by Jake Wunstell lies on its roof in a cane field adjacent to East Woodlawn Ranch Road. The accident was caused by engine failure according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary report. COURTESY PHOTO