A small plane, identified as a Piper PA-28 Cherokee, performed an emergency landing at Sacramento's McClellan Airport earlier today, as confirmed by Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. The incident occurred while the pilot was engaged in touch-and-go landing practices, a routine maneuver meant to hone a pilot's landing proficiency.
According to ABC 10, the plane's landing gear failed to engage, which resulted in a piloted belly landing— a scenario where the aircraft lands without the use of its landing gear— on the McClellan runway just before 12:30 p.m. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, and the damage to the aircraft was deemed minor.
"The pilot was able to do a "controlled belly landing" and bring the plane to a stop on the runway," Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District stated, as noted by ABC10. Despite the emergency, KCRA reports that airport operations were only minimally affected and the runway was expected to be cleared soon after the incident.
