What was supposed to be a routine training flight, turned into more of a teaching moment than the plane’s pilot ever expected.
“We didn't know what the circumstances were, we just knew that a plane went down,” said Council Bluffs Police Lt. Dan Flores.
A little before 10 o’clock Monday morning, Council Bluffs Police got word that a single engine plane went down somewhere off I-29.
“We had some deputies looking, some state patrol, we weren't sure where it was at,” said Lt. Flores.
Police say they found the plane in a frozen soybean field near Lake Manawa. Both the plane and the people on board were in good shape.
“They obviously know they're fortunate that it ended the way it did,” said Lt. Flores.
Flight instructor Travis Yohn and Connor Galvin, a UNO Aviation Student, began to experience engine trouble shortly after takeoff.
“Safety was their top priority, so they declared an emergency landing. You saw the plane, it looks like it was parked in a parking lot,” said Scott Tarry.
Scott Tarry, the Director of the Aviation Institute at UNO says he is proud of his student and the instructor, a UNO alum, for how they handled things and the positive outcome it produced.
“They identified a problem, they diagnosed that problem, they ran thru the check list and they took the right action,” said Tarry.
Since the field is frozen, a truck was able to drive right onto the field to tow the plane with the permission of the FAA.
