Two Colorado men walked away uninjured from an emergency landing of a small plane just short of an airport runway in Longmont.
The incident happened at about 10 a.m. today, said Cmdr. Craig Earhart of the Longmont Police Department.
Pilot Brian Higley of Longmont and passenger Robert Matlacki of Westminster were in a Beechcraft four-seater flying from Utah to Vance Brand Airport in Longmont when they ran into engine trouble, Earhart said.
“They had just cleared the mountains and were in a normal descent when the plane experienced engine problems,” Earhart said. “The engine was surging.”
Higley safely landed the plane in a barley field about 200 feet from an airport runway, Earhart said.
“There was no fuel spill or fire associated with” the emergency landing, Earhart said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, Earhart said.
Higley’s landing narrowly avoided placing the aircraft on or across a busy nearby road, Earhart said.
He added: “It could have been worse.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
