Three small airplanes crashed last month in Franklin County, according to the sheriff's office.
There were some injuries during the September crashes but no fatalities.
All three crashes occurred in the vicinity of Byrd's Adventure Center on the Mulberry River between Cass and Oark. Byrd's has two grass runways.
"Our primary 1900' airstrip is suitable for many single-engine airplanes, while our secondary 1000' strip is open to ultralight aircraft such as powered parachutes and trikes," according to the center's website, https://byrdsadventurecenter.com/fly.
"Fly at your own risk," the website says.
Byrd's longest runway is in a field that's south of Arkansas 215 and west of Whispering Pines Lane. That runway goes east and west. The shorter runway has a north-south orientation.
Debbie and Danny Stillwell live on Whispering Pines Lane. They say it's a dangerous place to be. On Sept. 12, a small plane hit trees that separate the Stillwells' home from the runway.
"If the trees hadn't stopped it, they would be in our house," said Debbie Stillwell.
Danny Stillwell contacted the sheriff's office after the crash, saying the planes have been flying over their house for a year now but are supposed to fly to the north of it. He has posted large letters on his lawn -- easily visible from the sky -- that read: "No fly zone."
Debbie Stillwell said the problem started when Byrd's began doing fly-in events, like The Ozark Backwoods Challenge, which started Wednesday and was scheduled to conclude today.
It's an ArkanSTOL event. STOL stands for "short takeoff and landing."
The fly-in included an event that required the participant to depart the main runway, land at three other designated runways and return to the landing point.
"Inspired by the challenging terrain of the Arkansas Ozarks, this competition tests not only a pilot's skill but demands extreme knowledge of equipment and unparalleled judgment," according to the Byrd's website and arkanstol.com. "The terrain involves actual backwoods flying while adding the exciting elements of time trials with unpredictable river valley winds. All of these aspects combine to make this experience more complex than your average STOL competition!"
Rick Covert, coordinator of Franklin County Emergency Management, said it's "kind of an abnormality" to have so many crashes in such a short period of time.
SEPT. 12 CRASH
About 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, Pamela K. Boulden, owner/operator of Bryd's Adventure Center, notified the sheriff's office about a crash there.
"Upon my arrival, I noticed a yellow-and-white, high-fixed-wing aircraft standing with the tail up in the air and the nose smashed into the ground," sheriff's office investigator Curtis Bishop wrote in his report.
The plane was a 1955 Cessna 170B. The owner and pilot was Jonathan D. Edmonds, 29. His passenger was Mackenzie A. Scott, 28. Both are from Newport.
Edmonds told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he and his fiance had flown to Byrd's for a pleasure trip. They flew in on a Friday and were to fly out on a Sunday.
Edmonds, who is also an airplane mechanic, said he couldn't go into details about the crash because it's still under investigation.
He figures his Cessna is totalled. Edmonds said he suffered a broken femur in the crash, and Scott had a broken arm.
Edmonds said the airstrip at Byrd's isn't overly challenging, but pilots have to pay attention when taking off and landing there.
"It depends on the aircraft and the pilot," he said. "There's a lot of factors that go into that. You've got weather, temperature, winds, the type of aircraft. You've got to pay attention. It is a short runway."
Boulden told investigators that the Cessna took off on the main runway heading east.
"He cleared the end of the runway, cleared the trees and power lines, she stated that the plane was at slow speed and low," according to Bishop's report. "She advised they watched the plane and noticed it wasn't climbing and made a hard bank to the left to return to the airstrip for possibly an emergency landing when the engine stalled and the plane nose dived. The plane hit the ground with enough force between the barb wire fence and Whispering Pines Lane that the body stayed straight and the motor compartment turned upwards."
Both occupants were injured and were removed from the plane by workers from Byrd's, according to the report. Both were transported to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences by Air Evac.
Neither Pamela Boulden nor Zen Boulden, who is listed as a contact at Byrd's Backcountry Airstrip on airfield.guide, could be reached for comment Friday.
SEPT. 24 CRASH
About 2 p.m. on Sept. 24, Gregory A. Jacobi, 49, of Alex, Okla., crashed while trying to land a Kitfox IV experimental plane at the airstrip next to Whispering Pines Lane.
In a written statement, Jacobi told investigators: "Approach to land on runway and added throttle to make stop. Engine fumbled and clipped a tree."
"Aircraft struck a tree while landing," according to a preliminary accident report with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jacobi wasn't injured, according to the sheriff's office report.
SEPT. 29 CRASH
About 2 p.m. Wednesday, Boulden notified the sheriff's office about another crash at Byrd's.
Scott Corwin, 47, of Waller, Texas, crashed in a 2008 Highlander, an experimental plane made by Just Aircraft LLC.
Corwin crashed "on an unmarked grassy private road" at Byrd's, according to the sheriff's office.
The nose of the airplane was up against a fence that connects to Byrd's Adventure Center, according to the report.
When deputies arrived, the pilot was on the ground being assisted by emergency personnel.
"It was noted he had injuries to both legs, both arms, his hands and his head," according to the report. He was flown to UAMS in Little Rock.
Covert said the pilot was practicing before The Ozark Backwoods Challenge was to begin.
A witness told investigators that Corwin's plane took off heading west on the east-west runway.
"The pilot was attempting to lift off the ground, bank left and land on a north-facing runway," according to the sheriff's office report.
As the plane banked, the engine stalled, causing it to come down, according to the witness.
"As the plane came down, the left wing tip touched first causing the plane to go into a left spin with the left landing gear hitting the ground and breaking off," according to the report. "The plane came to rest facing northwest approximately 18 feet from where the wing first touched the ground."
According to the FAA, Corwin's injuries were serious.
Nationwide, the FAA had 103 reports of accidents and incidents from Sept. 20 through Oct. 1. Incidents include things like an emergency landing on a golf course because of engine trouble.