A pilot and passenger escaped injury Monday evening after a single-engine airplane experienced a landing gear problem while landing at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the incident happened just after 7:30 p.m. at the airport on West Blee Road in Green Township, Clark County.
The preliminary investigation found that a 1979 Piper Saratoga SP single-engine aircraft, piloted by Michael Styles, 78, of Dayton, was flying from Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport.
While landing, the airplane’s front landing gear is believed to have suffered a mechanical failure, causing the nose of the aircraft to strike the runway.
The plane then slid off the side of the runway before coming to a stop.
Styles and his passenger, Pamela Styles, 78, of Dayton, were not injured.
Air traffic at the airport was temporarily delayed while troopers investigated the crash.
The scene was cleared shortly before 9:30 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will conduct a separate investigation.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post continues to investigate the incident.
The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Police Division, and Hustead Fire Department & EMS.
