Edgewater Fire Services: Single-engine plane makes safe 'belly landing' at airstrip

Courtesy photos / This small plane lands on its belly at an Edgewater landing strip after its gear malfunctions.

EDGEWATER -- Richard Lundgren had no earthly idea his single-engine plane's landing gear had malfunctioned until he actually landed the craft on its belly Friday morning at the Massey Ranch Airpark. He was not injured.

Edgewater Fire Services responded to a 9:21 a.m. dispatch call of a plane crash in three minutes with six firefighters in three vehicles to the landing strip at West Park Avenue and Skyway Drive.

Here is a synopsis of what happened as reported by Edgewater Fire Service spokeswoman Capt. Jill Danigel: "Edgewater Fire Rescue crews were dispatched this morning to Massey Ranch Airpark for the report of an airplane crash. Upon arrival, crews found a single engine, four passenger aircraft on the runway. The pilot, the lone occupant, was uninjured. He reported receiving no notification of any issues with the aircraft’s landing gear until touching down on the runway. At the time, the landing gear failed causing a 'belly landing' of the aircraft."

The four-passenger plane is owned by the 78-year-old Lundgren.

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