Canton Twp. pilot smashes into trees in Livingston Co., walks away

A 72-year-old Canton Township man was uninjured after his single-engine plane cartwheeled into and became suspended in a stand of trees Monday on an airfield in Livingston County, police said.

The plane crashed off Rushton Road near Eight Mile in Green Oak Township, about 4.5 miles from South Lyon, police said in a news release. The pilot reported a wind gust pushed him off course.

Authorities found the small, single-engine Piper Cub plane suspended in trees with significant damage. The pilot climbed out of the plane and onto the ground on his own, police said.

"The pilot stated he was coming in for a landing and a gust of wind caused him to tip a little to the left and his wing caught a tree limb, forcing him to cartwheel into the trees," police reported.

Wind readings on Monday were calm near Howell, about 20 miles northwest of the crash site, according to the National Weather Service in White Lake Township. Readings in Pontiac, about 35 miles northeast, were measured near 3 mph, the weather service said.

The Federal Aviation Administration was contacted; the crash is under investigation, police said.