Pilot lands safely after ‘buzzing,’ striking car

A single-engine Piper Cherokee airplane struck a car Saturday afternoon on a dirt road in Nye County, but authorities said both the pilot and the car's driver escaped serious injury.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said the crash occurred about 1:25 p.m. in Crystal, a town just off U.S. Highway 95 about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

According to Ian Gregor with the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot admitted to federal officials that he was "buzzing" the car when the accident occurred.

It is against federal regulations to fly less than 500 feet above any person, vehicle or structure, Gregor said. He said a pilot who violates the regulation can face sanctions ranging from a warning letter to license suspension or revocation.

Gregor said the impact sheared off the left main landing gear of the plane before the pilot landed shortly afterward in a field.

It appeared the pilot was the only one in the aircraft.

DeMeo said the landing gear smashed the car's rear windshield and damaged the roof and front windshield.

The car's driver had to be extracted from the vehicle and suffered a non-life threatening head injury, DeMeo said.

He said the plane was flying in the opposite direction the car was traveling when the collision occurred.

DeMeo said the pilot and the car's driver knew each other, but he did not elaborate.

The name of the pilot was not released. According to FAA records, the plane's owner is listed as Earl Griffin of Amargosa Valley.