Danbury Airport Crash Not What You Might Expect

Danbury officials are investigating a silver Subaru Legacy that drove over a guard rail, into a fence and then through a hangar wall to strike two airplanes parked inside 49 Miry Brook Road.

"Actually it was two planes that got hit by the car," Danbury Fire Chief Geoff Herald said. "In the movies things blow up, but in reality, no fire, no explosion."

Herald said the accident was remarkable for several reasons. There was no fire. Plane fuel did leak onto the floor. The fire department got involved because the driver was injured and taken to the hospital. Her name was not available Thursday night. The accident happened Wednesday evening.

"She drove through the guard rails, she drove through the perimeter fence, she drove through a six foot opening she couldn't see with a five-foot car, and she hit two planes," Herald said.

"She was lucky beyond belief," said Michael Safranek, assistant Airport Administrator. "You could never do it again."

Danbury Police Spokesman Thomas Michael identified the driver as Allison Cull, 23, of Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury. According to the police arrest log, Cull was charged with failure to drive right following the 6:45 p.m. accident.

The base of the metal hanger is made up of "X" shaped braces. The gap, Safranek said, is about six feed wide. A foot or two either way, and the car would have hit steel braces.

Safranek said the hangar is in a staight line with Miry Brook Road, which veers sharply away on a corner, and the car kept going straight. The building, while on the airport property, is privately owned.

Because the planes were parked in a private hangar and were not moving at the time, the accident wasn't reported to the FAA by the city, Safranek said.

The Danbury Municipal Airport is city-owned.

Building Inspector Leo Null said his office was called to the scene, because the building was damaged.

"We get called out to see if the building can remain open. We have to know if the vehicles are safe in there or they should be moved outside," Null said. "By vehicles, I mean airplanes. We check if it will affect the surrounding buildings."