FARMINGTON – Joggers and dog walkers who frequent the haying field alongside Route 27 got a surprise Thursday evening as a small aircraft made an emergency landing.
Owned by the town’s Water Department, the large field provided the perfect landing strip for the small, bright blue Cessna 150.
“It had been freshly mowed…you can’t ask for more,” Mike Wells said. “Corn fields can really do some damage to these small aircrafts, so we were fortunate.”
Wells’ son, Reed, was behind the wheel when the engine began making some concerning noises. The plane was heading over Strong toward Norridgewock- a stretch that includes a lot of nothing in terms of landing areas according to Wells- so the pair decided to turn in the direction of Farmington.
The Wells are members of the Sandy River Flying Club. Reed is currently working on obtaining his license to fly, and practicing an emergency landing had been on the to do list as it was. Though the situation was more of a precautionary landing, Wells said it was good for Reed to experience the real thing. After landing, the Wells notified the Water Department and found a mechanic to check over the engine. Due to the stretch of poor weather, the plane sat in the field until Tuesday morning at which point it was flown back to Phillips.
“It was just one of those things. It’s simple, 1940s technology but every now and then it gets finicky,” Wells said. “And with planes, it’s not like you can just pull over on the side of the road.”
