A Coffey County man suffered serious injuries when his single- engine plane crashed on landing after striking a power line.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reports the crash happened at 1:25 p.m. Saturday at 1520 21000 Road, south of Parsons.
Michael R. Ribordy, 26, of New Strawn was piloting his 1992 Cozy Cub fixed-wing aircraft and landing at the private grass airstrip on the east side of U.S. 59. Upon approach, the aircraft struck a power line, causing the craft to “nose the ground,” the KHP report said. The aircraft landed in a field about 800 feet east of the power lines. Several pilots had converged on the airstrip on Saturday, including aircraft from Rogersville, Missouri, and Pittsburg. Ribordy is a short take-off and landing competitor, according to a fellow pilot’s online commentary about the accident. Emergency crews had to extricate Ribordy from the plane.
Ribordy was taken to Labette Health with suspected serious injuries. He was then transferred to a Kansas City hospital.
The crash caused a power outage that lasted more than 2 hours. Angie Erickson, CEO of Twin Valley Electric Cooperative, said the outage impacted 55 meters and power was out for two hours and 23 minutes.
A report on the accident from the National Transportation Safety Board was not available on Monday, and the Federal Aviation Administration was expected at the crash site on Monday. The NTSB media relations department told the Sun that it’s still early in the investigation.
The NTSB said its investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation. At this early stage of an investigation, the NTSB does not determine or speculate about the cause of the accident. Investigations take between 12 and 24 months to complete, the NTSB said.
NTSB flight data showed that Ribordy’s plane was last seen near Burlington at 12:44 p.m. Saturday. Ribordy has been the registered owner of the plane since April 2023.
A GoFundMe page is accepting donations for Ribordy and his wife, Gabrielle, to help with bills and other expenses as he undergoes treatment in Kansas City.
“If you can’t donate, consider sharing to get the word out,” the GoFundMe started by Heaven Cain reads. “Prayers are much appreciated as well. Thank you for whatever you can do to help.”
The page reports $20,770 raised with a goal of $28,000.
