Pilot Escapes Unhurt From Crash Landing

An experimental airplane skidded 1,000 yards down a runway at Oxnard Airport with Fire Department vehicles in pursuit after the landing gear of the $350,000 craft failed to deploy, authorities said.

However, no fire broke out and the unidentified pilot escaped unscathed from the crash landing at 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, said Dan Gildea, a spokesman for the Oxnard Fire Department.

“I guess he did a really good job of bringing it in,” Gildea said. “He turned off the engine prior to impacting, so the prop was bent up pretty good.”

The crash occurred after the airplane’s front wheel failed to drop into the correct position for landing as the pilot approached the airport, Gildea said. After flying past the airport tower to allow air traffic controllers to look for any problem with the landing gear, the pilot decided to make an emergency landing.

The airplane carried about 20 gallons of fuel, and four Oxnard fire engines were dispatched, as well as a special aircraft-crash fire rescue vehicle, Gildea said.

A damage estimate for the airplane was not available, but Gildea said the damage was minimal.

Gildea said the craft was made of Kevlar, a material that is light but strong and is used in everything from bulletproof vests to telecommunications equipment.