A small single-engine Cozy Mark IV made an emergency landing at Miami County Airport in Paola shortly after 10:10 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, after the pilot reported an oil-pressure warning. The airplane came down hard enough to damage its nose and a landing wheel, but both people on board walked away unhurt.
According to KCTV, Kansas Highway Patrol troopers said the pilot, a 58-year-old man from Oklahoma, diverted to Miami County Airport with a 58-year-old female passenger, also from Oklahoma, after the warning light came on. Troopers told KCTV the experimental aircraft was flying northeast when the oil-pressure alert activated and the pilot put the Cozy Mark IV down on airport property at 32580 Airport Drive.
About the plane
The Cozy Mark IV is a four-seat, plans-built experimental canard aircraft derived from the Rutan Long-EZ and is popular among owner-builders. The Experimental Aircraft Association notes that Cozys are registered and flown in the FAA's experimental category, which comes with different inspection and maintenance practices than fully certificated aircraft. That distinction often shapes how post-incident reviews are handled.
Where it happened
Miami County Airport (K81) sits between Paola and Osawatomie and lists its address as 32580 Airport Drive, according to Miami County. The airport has a single Runway 3/21 with roughly 3,400 feet of asphalt and is open to general aviation traffic, offering Avgas and a small terminal area for visiting pilots, AirNav shows.
Investigation
Kansas Highway Patrol troopers responded to the scene to document the landing and the damage to the aircraft, KCTV reported, and officials said there were no injuries.
Federal reporting guidance and National Transportation Safety Board forms outline how operators and investigators are expected to preserve wreckage and record details after incidents. As part of that process, investigators typically review pilot statements and maintenance logs, along with other records, and the NTSB explains those notification and reporting steps in its public guidance.
