MT. COMFORT — Two people walked away shaken but unhurt Wednesday evening after making a belly-landing in their small plane at Indianapolis Regional Airport.
The plane, identified as a 1966 Piper Commander, apparently had a problem with its landing gear as it was coming in for a landing at the airport in Mt. Comfort, according to the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The malfunction forced the pilot to land the single-engine, four-seat aircraft with the wheels up. It came down safely in a shower of sparks.
One other person was aboard the plane. Neither occupant was identified.
First-responders from the Buck Creek Township Fire Department, along with Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the McCordsville Police Department, were called to the runway at the airport, 5881 Airport Boulevard, around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured during the landing, and there was no fire, said Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department said. Officials from the Indianapolis Airport Authority quickly responded to investigate and will turn over its findings and to officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
Rob White, public information officer for the Buck Creek Township Fire Department, said it was clear the prop-driven plane had suffered a mechanical issue. When Buck Creek firefighters arrived on the scene moments later, it was sitting intact with the pilot and passenger outside of the aircraft, White said.
White noted the landing could have been a lot worse. When the belly of the plane touched down and skidded along the runway, it could have flipped.
“We don’t know if it was a malfunction of the wheels yet or what,” White said. “It didn’t seem like anyone was hurt or anything, just a little shook up.”
The incident did shut down the west runway for a time while the scene was investigated, officials said.
