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Small plane makes emergency landing in Powhatan

Posted at 5:42 PM, Feb 17, 2012
and last updated 2012-02-21 08:32:57-05

POWHATAN, Va. (WTVR) - A small plane flying from northern Virginia made an emergency landing in Powhatan Friday afternoon.

It happened at Old Buckingham Road, which is also known as Route 13 and Giles Bridge Road, around 4:40 p.m.

The sheriff said the pilot made it out ok with no injuries. He also said there is little damage to the plane.

Virginia State Police's Sergeant Thomas J. Molnar said the pilot, who left Manassas around 3:30 p.m., was on his way to Fayetteville, N.C.

Molnar also said the pilot, who was flying with one passenger, radioed the airport about engine problems and said he was going to try an emergency landing.

The pilot, who was not injured, was able to land the plane in a nearby field before stopping on Route 13, Old Buckingham Road.

Molnar said about 20 gallons of fuel spilled from the plane and that it would be towed to a local airport.

The crash closed the westbound lane of Route 13, but that the eastbound lane is open.

The Powhatan County Sheriff's Office is assisting with the investigation.

The pilot is Mark A. White, 42, of Manassas, Va. Investigators say he was on his way to North Carolina when he made the emergency landing.