A pilot was forced to land a single-engine plane on a levee road east of Pine Bluff on Friday afternoon, according to Doug Hale, Grider Field airport manager.
Hale said the pilot was on his way to an aviation event when he was attempting to land at Grider Field, likely to get fuel, and the plane malfunctioned, Hale said. When the plane lost power, the pilot put the plane down on a straight stretch of Blankenship Road.
“Unfortunately, when he landed, there was a prop strike, and anytime a propeller strikes the ground, you have to tear the engine apart to make sure there was no damage done to it,” Hale said. “No one got hurt.”
Hale said the plane, which apparently suffered no other damage, was towed back to Grider Field, where the pilot hitched a ride with a friend who was flying to the same aviation event.
The Jefferson County sheriff’s office posted on a social media page that it responded at 1:38 p.m. to the incident, along with the Southeast Jefferson County Volunteer Fire Department and EASI ambulance service. The sheriff’s office said it had not created an incident report because it’s responsibility was limited to securing the area and making sure the area was safe.
“It is important to note that the investigation of the crash is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration ,” stated the post.