A pilot brought a plane down safely at Pickens County Airport on Friday afternoon after the aircraft reportedly ran into engine trouble mid-flight, touching down on the north end of the runway at an estimated 105 mph before rolling to a stop. No fire was found and no injuries were reported once emergency crews arrived on scene.
Firefighters Rushed to the Runway on a Report of Possible Fire
According to WSB-TV, Pickens County firefighters were called around 12:45 p.m. Friday after receiving a report that a plane was having engine trouble and possibly on fire. The station reported the aircraft was expected to arrive at the airport within about two to three minutes of that call, giving crews little time to prepare before the plane appeared over the runway.
The pilot guided the plane down, got it stopped, and taxied off the runway at the south end, the outlet's report noted. Firefighters said no fire was found once they arrived, and no injuries were reported among those involved.
Officials Praise the Pilot's Handling of the Emergency
Fire officials had high praise for how the situation was handled in the air, with one telling the station simply, “Great job by the pilot.” The same report also confirmed a plane made a safe emergency landing at Pickens County Airport that Friday, September 18, 2026, following the reported engine trouble, according to fox5atlanta.com.
As of the latest reporting, authorities had not released the pilot's identity, the type of aircraft involved, or where the flight had originally departed from, per that same Fox 5 account. Those details remain unconfirmed, and no further updates on the cause of the reported engine trouble have been made public.
A Comparable Emergency Landing Elsewhere
A plane carrying DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin made an emergency landing after an engine failure earlier this month, according to WBAL-TV. In a separate incident, a small airplane made an emergency landing on U.S. Route 136 near Gifford, Illinois, as reported by WCIA.
For now, the Pickens County incident stands as another example of a pilot managing a high-speed emergency landing without anyone getting hurt. No additional details about the aircraft or the cause of the reported trouble have been released.
