Small plane issues 'Mayday' before making emergency landing at Davis Farmland in Sterling

Kim Ring, Telegram & Gazette
·1 min read
A single-engine airplane sits in a field between Davis Farmland and a neighboring orchard Thursday in Sterling, a day after a pilot landed the Cessna 152 after it reportedly lost power. Crews were getting ready to remove the plane Thursday afternoon. After the fuel is drained from the wing tanks, the wings will be removed and the plane will be towed from the field.

STERLING — A small plane made an emergency landing at Davis Farmland late Wednesday afternoon after it reportedly lost power and called in a "Mayday."

A dispatcher told Sterling firefighters that the Federal Aviation Administration had alerted emergency personnel that the plane had "made a successful landing" in a field and was "facing the house."

In a social media post, Davis Farmland staff posted: "A plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Davis Farmland today. Thankfully, everybody is safe including the airplane!"

There were reports that two people were onboard the plane and were not hurt.

Records show the plane is a 1978 Cessna 152, fixed wing with a single engine and two seats. It is registered to FCA Flight Center in Fitchburg where it is listed as available for renting.

The area where the Cessna landed is about 3½ miles as the crow flies from the Sterling Airport and not far from the site where a Cessna 177 crashed in March of 2020, killing the pilot who was the only one aboard.

Davis Farmland, a family attraction known for its farm animals and giant corn maze, is closed for the season and was unable to open Halloween weekend due to inclement weather and ground conditions.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Small plane makes emergency landing at Davis Farmland in Sterling