Utah pilot makes safe emergency landing in field

A pilot safely landed his plane in a Weber County field after an engine failure.

The pilot, who had taken off from Ogden-Hinckley Airport, was returning about 6 p.m. Saturday when the engine failed, said Weber County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Strecker. He was still about 5 miles from the airport, so he looked for an alternative place to land and chose a farm at 1940 S. 2700 West in West Haven.

He landed the 1977 Piper Turbo Arrow III in the vacant field with minimal damage to the plane; the front landing gear is a little bent and there are some scratches on the pilot side's wing, Strecker said. The pilot was unharmed.

"He did a really good job at landing the plane," said Strecker, who said the pilot was very experienced. The pilot asked law enforcement to not publicly identify him.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were satisfied with photos and information about the landing and decided not to send anyone for further investigation, Strecker said.

mmcfall@sltrib.com

Twitter: @mikeypanda