WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A Branch County man and a pilot from Vicksburg escaped injury after the plane they were in was forced to land on its belly last week on a runway in Coldwater Township.
Branch County Sheriff’s deputies said the incident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. Friday at Branch County Airport.
Robert Coles, 45, of Vicksburg, and 38-year-old Jeffrey Chatfield, a Coldwater resident, notified authorities the plane they were in was having mechanical issues. The two had been testing a twin-engine plane and returned to the airport, but its landing gear would not lower, investigators said.
As a result, they were forced to land the plane on its belly. The plane sustained minor damage to the propellers and possible damage to its under carriage, according to the sheriff’s office.
