A small plane struck a man on a lawnmower Saturday morning at the Taylorsville Airport, according to police.
The Charlotte Observer reported that the National Transportation and Safety Board was contacted after the crash happened on the airport’s grass landing strip.
The pilot said he was trying to land and didn’t see the 74-year-old John Rufty on the lawn mower until it was too late.
The victim’s left hand was severed in the crash, according to Alexander Emergency Services Director Russell Greene. He was taken by medical helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
Officials said the impact flipped the plane over onto its top and also flipped the mower over.
The pilot has not been identified. The investigation is ongoing.
Source: The Charlotte Observer