Yikes

So last night in the storminess a plane crashed about a block from where we used to live:

The plane crashed in the alley between Humboldt Blvd. and Weil St. on Clarke St. at around 6:15 p.m., said Anne E. Schwartz, Milwaukee Police Department spokeswoman.

The plane was suspended, nose down, just 3 feet from the ground, apparently propped up by a broken utility pole and power lines, with pilot David J. Betts, 37, of Elkhorn trapped inside.

No one on the ground was hurt, Schwartz said.

Initial reports indicate that Betts' plane approached an airstrip at Timmerman Airport several times during a heavy downpour, Schwartz said. He circled back each time without landing and finally headed east before dropping off the radar at 6:15 p.m., Schwartz said.

Timmerman is many miles away from Riverwest, where the plane ended up; I will be interested to know what the pilot was up to by heading east after giving up on landing.

From the sound of it, there are still houses in the area without power, and I bet our old place would be one of them. Power did go out here at the current place last night around midnight from the windstorm--still ongoing, by the way--but was back on when I awoke today. Still, not nearly as, erm, exciting as having a plane land a block away.