Courtesy: Madison County Sheriff’s Office
A Wisconsin pilot walked away unhurt after making an emergency landing in a bean field east of Norfolk on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities say the “mayday” call came in to Norfolk Dispatch just before 4 p.m. August 7. The single-engine aircraft, which had recently departed Norfolk Regional Airport, landed about three-quarters of a mile south of East Norfolk Avenue and Agnes Drive.
The pilot, Isaac Weix of Menomonie, Wisconsin, told investigators he was headed home when, at about 5,500 feet, he experienced engine trouble. Unable to return to the airport, he turned the plane into the wind and landed in the field.
Madison County Sheriff Todd Volk told KLIN News Weix is working with the landowner to make sure “everything’s taken care of,” and that the plane can be removed from the field “when it’s safe to do so.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Norfolk Police, and Norfolk Fire and Rescue responded. The incident has been reported to federal aviation authorities.
“We’ve unfortunately, over the past year or so, had a couple planes go down where we’ve had fatalities. So having one go down, finding the pilot, and everything is all good—its a good feeling for these types of incidents,” said Volk.