Pilot Unhurt in Emergency Landing
A 75-year-old man piloting an ultralight plane was forced to make a hard landing Wednesday when the engine stalled about 200 feet above Camarillo Airport.
Joe Lockard wasn’t injured in the 11:30 a.m. incident, and his plane sustained only minor damage when he landed in a plowed field at the end of the runway.
“I knew good and well there wasn’t anything else I could do but crash,” Lockard said.
After taking off, Lockard flew for several minutes before the motor quit, he said. The Los Angeles resident had to maneuver the aircraft underneath power lines to reach the field.
“I’ve had a motor go out before but I was in a different position. This time kind of worried me,” said Lockard, who has flown open-air planes for more than 25 years.
Lockard is one of about 85 members in the Ventura County Ultralight Society, a group of retirees who get together and fly about once a week.
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