Airplane makes emergency landing

The outcome was much better than first feared when an airplane pilot reported earlier this month that he had lost power and was attempting an emergency landing at the Belleville airport. To make matters worse, the pilot couldn’t tell if the plane’s landing gear was up or down.

The full story was reported in last week’s edition of The Belleville Telescope.

David Cox, Republic County sheriff, said the plane circled the airport three times as emergency responders attempted to visually confirm whether the plane’s landing gear had descended. It had and the plane made a safe landing with two men on board.

When the call for help went out, personnel from the Belleville Police Department, Belleville Fire Department, Republic County Sheriff’s Office and Republic County Emergency Management Office went to the Belleville airport.

According to Sheriff Cox, the plane was en route from Great Bend to Omaha, when it lost all power including lights and radio. The pilot was able to send a distress message via a handheld radio that was in the plane.

Before attempting to land, the pilot was able to restore power. The plane landed safely and following an inspection it flew out of Belleville the next day.

Emergency services responding to the call for help set up flood lights to illuminate the runway.