May 17, 2005
Aircraft traffic was at a standstill at the Charlottesville/Albemarle Airport for more than an hour today. A pilot of a privately owned plane made an emergency landing on his way to Stewartsville, NY.
The engine was experiencing some electrical problem when the pilot decided to make a landing. While on the runway, the plane's nose gears fell off, causing the plane to take a nose dive into the grass.
"It was a Ryan Navion, an antique aircraft. It's a 1948 and back then I think all branches of the service flew them," said Bill Pahuta, Director of Airport Operations. "[The pilot] owned it and it's just an antique aircraft."
The pilot was the only person onboard the aircraft as was not hurt.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the accident.
Plane Takes Nose Dive At Airport