An 11-year pilot who?s plane went belly-up while landing at a small airport outside of Laurel said the crash resulted from pilot error.
“There was nothing wrong with the aircraft,” said Matthew Jurotich, 65, of Bowie, on Sunday, referring to the plane, which was built by an amateur. “I did something stupid.”
Jurotich was landing what state police described as an “experimental aircraft” at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Suburban Airport on Brock Bridge Road, when the small plane flipped.
State police said a preliminary review indicated that something caused the plane to “nose down and overturn” during landing.
Officials said the front landing gear might have buckled, but could not confirm that information.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to conduct an investigation into the incident, according to state police at the Glen Burnie barracks.
Jurotich received treatment for minor injuries at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after fire and rescue personnel removed him from the plane.
