I do not recall any of the pre-crash circumstances but one of the first ultra-lights was an all wood, single seat, open cockpit plane that used a VW Beetle engine. This was initially 36 hp and had no gearing on the prop. The prop turned at whatever rpm the engine normally ran at.

Some fellow in our small town had one and I was going to look him up, but one day, my older son came in and said that a little airplane had taken off from the local airport, but then crashed into some trees... "I know where it is! Let’s go see it!"

We drove almost directly to it and after a walk of no more than 100' into a big clump of trees, there is was...up in a tree. It was hung up on some limbs with the nose down and about 25 feet off the ground.

The pilot had been flying it a fair amount but this day, he took off and just at the end of the runway, the engine quit. The thing that must not be done, for many reasons, is try to turn around to land on the strip. Generally, it is safer to just put the nose down and land on the best place available. And this landing would occur very soon after the engine quit.

It didn’t look that bad but a couple of guys walked up and started talking about it. One was the pilot. He was scratched up but that was all. They were talking about how to get it down.

The pilot said that it would be stripped if left there a couple of nights.

I asked if the airframe was damaged.

He said that there were splits in the ply and it would be easier and safer to replace it than try to fix it... "but that engine is a really good one and there are a lot of people who would like to have it for their cars or air-boats."

I have experience trying to get model planes out of trees without damage and I suggested that if they cut a limb or two, the plane would drop maybe drop almost to the ground but not to it. Then if they stood in the back of a pickup, they could use step ladders, and get to the engine. That could free the engine and they could lower it to the back of the pickup with a rope. They decided that would be the quickest way to get the only part that was worth any money.

They left to get tools and a chainsaw.

I never heard anything else about it but a week later I was in the vicinity and the plane was gone.