NJ Pilot Belly Lands At Essex County Airport After Plane’s Gear Fails

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A flight instructor and his student are safe after being forced to belly land at Essex County Airport in Fairfield on Sunday when their plane’s gear failed, authorities say.

Officers got a 9-1-1 call from the airport about a “gear-up” landing that took place on their runway at 2:21 p.m., according to the Fairfield Police Department.

Police, fire and EMS crews responded to the scene, finding the plane – a Piper Seminole P-44 – stopped on the runway without its landing gear deployed.

The instructor, a 31-year-old male from Paterson, and student, a 32-year-old male from Elizabeth, were both uninjured, authorities said.

The aircraft belongs to the Air Fleet Training Systems located at the Essex County Airport, police said.

“The circumstances surrounding this crash could have been much worse and these gentlemen are very lucky,” police public information officer Stacy Chiarolanza said.

The airport was closed until the investigation was completed. The incident remains under investigation by the FAA.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.