Plane rolls off runway after engine failure

A small plane owned by Skydive Iowa near Brooklyn was forced to make an emergency landing at its facility after what appeared to be engine problems. The plane, flown by Craig Shorten, an experienced pilot with 2,000 to 3,000 hours of flying, was brought down on the runway owned and operated by Skydive Iowa and skidded off into a field of corn at about noon on Saturday, June 27.

“There were five jumpers on board at 2,000 feet,” said Bruce Kennedy, owner of the skydive facility. “The pilot lost engine power.”

According to Kennedy, one skydiver—an experienced skydiver—made the jump, but the remaining passengers and their trainers remained on board.

“The altitude was just too low,” Kennedy said, “The pilot landed on the runway in a down wind condition—they had to get down safely. It was a nice landing.”

Members of the Brooklyn Fire Department who responded agreed, adding that not only did the pilot do a great job in getting the plane down, safely, but that in their eyes, the plane just missed landing on the runway.

“The plane went into a corn field just past the runway,” Kennedy said. “Nobody was injured and the plane did not have a scratch.”

Opened by Kennedy in 1991, Skydive Iowa is one of only a few airports that is skydiver owned.

Kennedy has made more than 5,900 jumps.

Skydive Iowa is a recognized member of the United States Parachute Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATED June 30, 2009 2:31 PM