ULTRALIGHT PILOT INJURED IN CRASH

CHAFFEE -- A 31-year-old Scott City man was hospitalized in serious condition Tuesday night after crashing an ultralight aircraft outside of Chaffee.

Greg Heiserer was awaiting surgery at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau after being flown there by helicopter with a broken leg, fractured pelvis and facial injuries.

According to witnesses, Heiserer was flying a Quick Silver brand ultralight aircraft when it struck a power line then hit the ground. The aircraft is owned by Dale Tierney of rural Chaffee, and may have taken off from a private airstrip near the site of the accident, police said.

A pilot's license is not required to fly ultralight aircraft but some training is recommended. Heiserer had been training in the aircraft all summer.