2 in Plane Safe as Engine Fails

A San Diego pilot and his passenger landed safely at Montgomery Field Sunday afternoon after the engine of their Piper Commanche plane failed, causing the landing gear to collapse, an airport official said.

Gerald Magruder and an unidentified male passenger were coming in for a landing when “something didn’t feel right,” according to Bill Forsmark, operations assistant at the Kearny Mesa airstrip. Magruder was attempting a second landing when the four-seater plane lost power and dropped into the dirt.

Both passenger and pilot were unharmed, and damage to the plane has not been assessed. An investigation is pending.