A pilot flying a small plane made an unexpected landing on a closed, muddy runway at the Dove Creek Airport Saturday afternoon.
Nobody was injured, said airport manager Allan Anderson. The plane stayed upright but partially slid off the runway. The airport has a dirt landing strip and has been closed because of muddy, slick conditions.
“Apparently, the pilot saw it as the best option to land there, possibly because of some emergency. It could have been a weather issue,” Anderson said.
The plane became stuck in the mud and cannot take off until the mud dries, he said. The pilot was flying with one passenger. Their identities and their route were not known.
The airfield usually closes in winter and when the dirt airstrip is wet.
Two people were seen carrying baggage from the plane to parked vehicles on U.S. Highway 491, according to a witness. They walked back to the plane, and one person carried shovel.
The privately owned Dove Creek Airport has been around for 60 years but does not get a lot of use, Anderson said. During wildfires, it is used by firefighting aircraft. Besides a maintained dirt runway, it has no other services. The airport is east of Dove Creek on the north side of the highway.
