ROGERS (KFSM) - A single-engine plane crashed at the Rogers Municipal Airport on Tuesday (Feb. 3) afternoon after the airplane's landing gear failed, according to the Rogers Fire Department.
The aircraft was a single-engine prop plane with just a male pilot on-board. He was uninjured, according to Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.
Rogers firefighters and emergency crews responded just before 1 p.m. to Carter Field at the airport in reference to an airplane that was approaching without landing gear. Two minutes later, firefighters reported the plane had crashed on the north end of the runway.
Officials said the pilot was forced to make a landing on the plane's belly after the landing gear failed. There was no fire, and damage to the airplane was fairly minimal, said fire chief Tom Jenkins.
"As far as plane crashes go, you couldn't have done much better," Jenkins said. "All in all, a pretty lucky day for [the pilot]. We are very grateful that it was that kind of successful outcome."
The plane is registered to Jack D. Burson of Rogers. There is no indication yet whether he was the pilot. Records indicate the aircraft that crashed is a Mooney M20K fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft built in 1980.
"We helped clear the aircraft from the runway by lifting it up, lowering the landing gear, [and] getting it out of the way so that the airport can get reopened," Jenkins said.
