Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the pilot of a small plane that crashed at Columbia County Airport Sat., Mar. 20, walked away uninjured. Larrie Sutliff, 78, of Briarcliff Manor, Westchester Co., did not suffer any injuries in the crash, which happened a little after 6 p.m., said Lt. John Rivero, of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Sutliff landed the plane with the landing gear in the up position, Rivero said. He was the only person in the 1963 Piper Camanche PA24-25. Sutliff was practicing landings and told authorities he did not realize his landing gear was not down as he was coming in to land. The plane landed on its fuselage and slid, before coming to rest on the east side of the runway. Rivera said Sutliff did not appear to be under the influence of any intoxicants. Sutliff was involved in a similar crash nearly four years ago in Albany County. He was practicing landing a 1961 Piper at South Albany Airport in Selkirk when he came down short of the runway, causing the front landing wheel to go into the soft ground. As a result, the plane’s nose slid along the runway before coming to rest. Following the crash this weekend, the West Ghent Fire Company responded to the airport on Route 9H, to clean up the fuel that had spilled from the plane on to the runway. The Sheriff’s Office is working with the FAA on the investigation, which is ongoing, Rivero said. The FAA said the damage to the plane was minor. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.