Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Golf Course

Authorities say no injuries were reported when a small plane made an emergency landing at northern New Jersey golf course Saturday.

Stephen Lind, the 62-year-old pilot of the single-engine Cessna, told The Star-Ledger (http://bit.ly/1lLAI0h) that he was planning to land at Essex County Airport in Fairfield.

But the plane experienced engine trouble as he neared the airport on Saturday afternoon, so the Whippany resident instead landed safely on a fairway at the Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell.

Lind and a 16-year-old girl he was giving a flight lesson to were the only people on board.

As he was preparing to land, Lind spotted three fairways. But he couldn't land on the two longer ones because golfers were playing on those areas.

The golf course's general manager, Steve Wolsky, said several people were playing the course when the emergency landing took place. But he said none were in danger.

"There were people all around and close," Wolsky told the newspaper. "People watched it and saw happen."

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

The plane is registered to East Orange-based Eagle Flight Squadron, a nonprofit group that promotes aviation-related activities to youth. Lind has been the group's chief flight instructor for 14 years.

Lind told the newspaper that his student assured him she would soon be flying again.

"My 16-year-old student can't wait to get to school to tell the story," he said. "She was mad because she didn't have her phone and couldn't take any pictures."

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.