Small plane crashes Tuesday in backyard of Gardner residence

GARDNER, Kan. (WIBW) - A small airplane crashed during “touch-and-go” exercises Tuesday night in the backyard of a home in Gardner in Johnson County, authorities said.

No injuries were reported in the crash, which was reported at 7:41 p.m. Tuesday at 32682 W. 171st Terrace in Gardner. The location was in a field west of the intersection of W. 171st Terrace and S. Osage Street.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the pilot of a 1966 Cessna 150F fixed-wing, single-engine airplane was performing “touch-and-go” exercises at Gardner Municipal Airport when the left engine stopped working, causing it to crash.

The pilot, Louis Benjamin Murrell, 46, of Wichita, was reported uninjured in the crash. The patrol said Murrell, who was alone on the plane, was wearing his safety restraint.

Following the crash, the plane was towed from the scene.

In “touch-and-go” exercises, planes briefly touch down as though landing before quickly taking off again and returning to flight.