Brandon Twp.- A pilot is thanking residents of a township mobile home community for mowing their lawns after his aircraft made a soft emergency landing on Tuesday afternoon.
The pilot of the single engine four-seater Archer aircraft asked to remain anonymous but is a Clinton Township resident and pilot of seven years. The pilot, along with a passenger who is a Macomb Township resident, was enroute from Owosso in Shiawassee County to Ray Community Airport in central Macomb County.
The pilot said at about 5 p.m. he was heading southeast over the township, when his rented aircraft began sputtering.
‘I started to lose power at about 3,000 feet off the ground and we were coming down engine out glide’there’s not much time to react,? he said. ‘So we started to look for a place to safely land the plane.? The pilot said he considered a few fields in the area near Oakhill and Sashabaw roads when he noticed the mobile home community.
‘I’m very grateful for the park owners and residents who mowed their grass’that made a great landing strip. It gave me something to shoot for.?
The plane touched down on a grassy strip about 40 yards wide and 1,000 yards long near a row of homes in the Clarkston Lakes Mobile Home Community.
‘I glided in from the north and I noticed a set of overhead power lines to the south of the strip of grass,? he said. ‘I had no power from the engine, so I locked up the brakes on the plane as soon as I touched down.?
The small plane skidded and stopped just short of a row of pine trees that bordered Oakhill Road, the left wing clipping some bushes. The wing received some minor damage.
‘You have to be calm’or you die,? he said, about 45 minutes following the landing, as he was looking over the aircraft.
Soon after the landing, neighbors came out to take a look at the plane.
Tom Daly, 43, a park resident for the past 5 years, was surprised to see the plane in his backyard.
‘I just finished mowing my yard and walked inside for dinner when the plane rolled up about 50 feet from my home,? he said. ‘It sounded like a big gravel truck in my backyard. I’m just glad everyone is OK.?
Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Substation were dispatched. No injuries were reported. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were contacted and the aircraft remained on site as of press time Thursday.
Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur said that while the landing was done with precision, it was a rather dangerous location to put a plane down.
‘The pilot put not only himself at risk, but also the mobile homes he passed when he landed. The Clarkston Lakes area is very congested and populated. Consider the gas and electrical lines are all adjacent to his landing site.?