Wedding Party Shoots Down Plan 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
Wedding guests 'shoot down plane'
Monday, October 13, 2003 Posted: 0302 GMT (11:02 AM HKT)
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BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) -- A small plane crashed near a wedding party in central Serbia, and local media said it was apparently brought down by celebratory rounds fired by wedding guests.
The single-engine Utva-75 plane crashed into a high-voltage power line Friday in the village of Ratina, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) west of Belgrade, the FoNet news agency reported Sunday. It said the pilot and passenger were seriously injured.
Police confirmed the plane crash and said two people were hurt but refused to discuss what brought the plane down and other details.
"Shortly before the crash I saw the plane flying at a very low altitude over a wedding party when guests started firing their handguns and other weapons," eyewitness Zoran Vukadinovic told FoNet, a private news agency.
The left wing of the aircraft subsequently caught fire, and the plane crashed, he said.
Shootings and fatalities are frequent at Serbian weddings because of the centuries-long tradition of blasting away with firearms in celebration.
Attempts to trace Vukadinovic were unsuccessful, with FoNet refusing to divulge his phone number.
The pilot apparently was unlicensed, said FoNet, citing authorities, and the flight was unauthorized.
Submitted on 10/13/2003
Submitted by:
Joseph
Reference:
October 13, 2003 CNN
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