Just before noon Monday, law enforcement and emergency workers got the call for a downed aircraft near the Warm Springs Road south of Bishop. When they arrived on scene on Eastside Road, Inyo Sheriff deputies and Highway Patrol officers found a small yellow and blue experimental airplane parked on the pavement.

The pilot, Leslie Goldner out of the Bay Area, was up and walking, apparently unhurt. The small plane was about the size of a hang glider and had damage to the landing gear due to a rough arrival on the ground.

Reports on scene indicated that because of engine trouble, the pilot chose to set the plane down on the pavement of Eastside Road. As he got closer to the ground, he saw the white railings of the bridge over the Geiger Canal. Thinking that the railings might cut the wings off his low slung aircraft, the pilot pulled into a stall to hop over the bridge. The plane then landed hard on the other side of the small bridge causing damage to the under-carriage.

With no one injured, it was up to the pilot to wait for the tow truck to arrive and take the small aircraft to the airport for repairs.

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