Airport workers and members of the Civil Air Patrol scramble to help passengers out of an airplane after it crashed down at the Wings and Wheels event at Westover Field on Saturday afternoon. Photo by: Bill Lavallie

A crowd at the annual Wings & Wheels event Saturday experienced a heart-stopping moment when an airplane that was giving three children a ride crashed down at Westover Field. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.

The incident occurred just after 3 p.m. as a gathering of families and plane enthusiasts was getting ready to watch a skydiving spectacle. A plane that was offering kids rides during the event began to take off and then suddenly dropped, crashing down on the side of the runway as its nose dug into dry grass on the surrounding terrain.

Numerous individuals rushed over to assist the shaken pilot and his three young passengers, including some cadets from the Civil Air Patrol. Sixteen-year-old cadet Kyle Zimmerman immediately followed his crash site training. He entered the plane along with another senior cadet and turned off the fuel switch and began taking care of its transponders.

Just as the crash was occurring, a firefighting helicopter was returning to Westover Field from battling a wildland blaze along Highway 16. A senior cadet from a visiting squadron ran over from the crash site and helped the chopper land amidst the confusion.

Several witnesses who were at the crash site said the airplane's pilot thought the electrical system on the plane failed as he ascended. The pilot sustained a minor injury and one of the three children was taken to Sutter Amador Hospital to be evaluated, although she did not appear to be badly hurt.

Some attendees at the event were not daunted at all by the crash and continued to line up to take plane rides. For Jeff Zimmerman, a parent involved with Amador County's local squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, the event proved his cadets were learning valuable knowledge in the Air Force-sponsored club.

"It just proves that there are times these kids can really put the skills they've learned to use in emergency situations," Jeff said. "Any kids interested should come down to one of our meetings and see if it's for them."