A small plane, occupied by two adults, made an emergency landing Friday afternoon in a rural area of Washington County. The incident took place without any reported injuries, and the aircraft sustained no visible damage.
Responders, including deputies and officers from the Cottage Grove Police Department, arrived around 4 p.m. at a site just east of 100th Street South and Manning Avenue. They found the occupants safe and sound. Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were notified about the incident.
Investigation Underway
Sgt. Matt O’Hara from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office mentioned that investigators are working with the FAA to ascertain why the emergency landing occurred, although a specific cause was not determined as of Friday evening. Additionally, plans to safely remove the aircraft from the field are being coordinated with the property owner.
Unrelated Ground Stop
This landing was not connected to a nationwide ground stop that the FAA initiated later in the day due to a telecommunications failure affecting air traffic control. That stop was lifted later that evening.
As of Friday night, local officials characterized the landing as a successful response to an emergency, posing no danger to the public. More information on the cause is awaited from the ongoing investigations by the FAA and NTSB.
This story is developing. More updates to follow…
