
Plane lands at Essex County Airport without landing gear engaged; no injuries reported
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, NJ (Essex County) – A plane landed at the Essex County Airport without its landing gear engaged, but fortunately, no injuries were reported, according to police.
On Sunday, January 12, at around 2:21 p.m., police received a 911 call from Essex County Airport in Fairfield Township reporting a “gear-up” landing on the runway, police said.
Fairfield police, fire, and EMS responded to the scene and found the aircraft, a Piper Seminole P-44, stopped on the runway without its landing gear deployed. The plane belongs to Air Fleet Training Systems, which is based at the Essex County Airport, police said.
The instructor, a 31-year-old male from Paterson, NJ, and the student, a 32-year-old male from Elizabeth, NJ, were both uninjured, police said.
“The circumstances surrounding this incident could have been much worse, and these gentlemen are very lucky,” said Public Information Officer Stacy Chiarolanza.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident, police said.