Small plane makes emergency landing on I-77

Small plane makes emergency landing on I-77 in Fairfield County

Photo: Gene Stephens Public Information Officer - Fairfield County

Winnsboro, SC (WOLO ) — The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office says a small plane from the flight school at Fairfield County Airport was forced to make an emergency landing Thursday afternoon. Authorities say the craft went down and came to rest in the median of Interstate 77 near mile marker 36.

South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP), along with Fairfield County First Responders have been at the scene for several hours with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  in an attempt to have the plane moved back to the Fairfield County Airport.

According to Fairfield County Airport Director Denise Bryan, everyone that was on the plane is safe and no injuries are reported. In fact, officials say the forced landing didn’t even cause traffic delays as it was able to safely come to rest along the side of the highway.

Fairfield County officials say there were two passengers on board the plane, the flight instructor and a flight student.

The pilot was able to navigate and made a smooth landing in the median of I- 77.

Also, officials say they worked with the FAA, NTSB, and S&S Aviation to remove the wings of the aircraft, load the plane onto a trailer and returned it to the Fairfield County Airport.