JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — A small plane had to make an emergency landing in the middle of a cornfield in southern Indiana on Thursday morning.
Miraculously, Indiana State Police Sgt. Carey Huls said although two passengers were on board, no one was injured in the accident.
The registration number of the plane is N988CT, Huls said.
Public data from FlightAware shows the plane is a Diamond DA20-C1 owned by Flight Club 502. The nonprofit is based out of Bowman Field and teaches young teens about aviation.
It's unknown if any students were flying the plane at the time of the landing.
According to FlightAware, the plane left Louisville around 7 a.m. and was heading north to Hanover, Indiana. It did several loops above the town before making its way back to Bowman Field.
Before the plane made it to Louisville, radio communications obtained from LiveATC show one of the pilots contacted Bowman Tower saying they were experiencing "engine difficulties."
"When you're able, can you describe the engine issue, is it roughness?" a flight controller asks.
"It's going to be intermittent. We're going through a checklist right now," the pilot responded.
About two minutes later, the pilot says they won't make it back to Louisville.
"We're going to have to look for a spot to land over here on the north side of the river," the pilot said. The flight controller tells them they've alerted emergency responders.
Another pilot in the air then offers to follow behind the troubled aircraft as it makes its descent and roughly two minutes later, the flight controller asks if they are still there.
"Tower, not sure if you can hear the Diamon, but I can hear them on my comms," the other pilot informs the flight controller. "They said they landed in a cornfield just north of the river."
"Alright they're on the ground and talking to you?" the controller repeats.
"Roger that."
"I guess they can hear me, we do have emergency services on the way, we're on the phone with them right now," the flight controller said. "We're glad you guys are safe."
The Indiana State Police (ISP) responded to the scene and will conduct the investigation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Traffic Safety Board.
ISP said in a news release they believe a mechanical malfunction caused the pilot to conduct an emergency landing. The FAA will continue its investigation and make a final decision on the cause of the accident.
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