Authorities say John Sackett Jr. had just spun the propeller to start the two-seater and was revving the engine from outside the cockpit. That's when the plane jumped a piece of wood blocking one of its wheels.
They say the 80-year-old pilot chased the plane as it motored off the small airstrip on his Rochester-area property. It went into a neighbor's yard, through a berry patch and into a post and trellis before hitting the tree Tuesday afternoon.
Sackett is an experienced pilot who bought the 1945 vintage, single-engine Ercoupe in 2008. Nobody was hurt, and the plane had only minor wing damage when it was towed back to his property.
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