A four-seat airplane made an emergency landing in the 2000 block of Northgate Commerce Pkwy. this afternoon, according to a news release from the Suffolk Police Department.
The pilot took off from the Hampton Roads Executive Airport in a 1979 Cessna R182. He was circling his residence off Shoulders Hill Road when he experienced mechanical problems and reported a “rough-running engine,” according to Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
He tried to get back to the airport, without success. Northgate Commerce Parkway is wide and straight, so he landed there at about 3:30 p.m., according to the news release.
The landing was relatively smooth, but the landing gear under the plane’s nose did not lock into place. The nose hit the roadway, but the pilot, 51, was not injured. Nobody else was aboard the plane during the emergency landing.
FAA inspectors will be out investigating Monday, Salac said.
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Suffolk Police report a Cessna R182, four seat airplane made an emergency landing in the 2000 block of Northgate Commerce Parkway around 3:30 Sunday afternoon. They says the 51-year-old pilot took off from Hampton Roads Airport and was circling around his home, which is off of Shoulders Hill Rd., when he experienced mechanical problems.
Investigators say he tried to make it back to the airport and was unsuccessful. They say he saw Northgate Commerce Parkway, which is wide and straight, and touched down there.
The landing was relatively smooth but the landing gear under the nose did not lock into place and the nose hit the roadway according to police. They say the pilot was not hurt.
Police are on scene. Virginia State Police and the FAA have been notified of the incident.
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Suffolk police say a Cessna plane made an emergency landing in the 200 block of Northgate Commerce Parkway around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
According to a news release, the pilot, a 51-year-old man, took off from Hampton Roads Airport and was circling around his residence near Shoulders Hill Road, when he began having mechanical issues. Authorities said he tried to make it back to the airport but could not. He made a landing on Northgate Commerce Parkway, which police said is wide and straight, and touched down there.
The plane's landing gear under the nose did not lock in place and the nose hit the roadway, according to the release. The pilot was not injured. It was not immediately clear if the man was the only occupant of the plane. Police are investigating the crash.
