FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WTVR) -The pilot of a small plane that made an emergency landing outside a Virginia Wawa on Monday morning was not injured.
Police said Jerome Orlando, age 33, from Broadway, Virginia, was flying from Florida to Charlottesville when his flight was diverted to Stafford due to morning fog.
State Police spokesman F.L. Tyler said Orlando attempted to make an emergency landing at Shannon Airport near Fredericksburg because he was running low on fuel.
State Police said at 5:43 a.m. they received 911 calls about a plane crash near the airport.
"The crash involved a 1968 Piper single engine, fixed wing aircraft," State Police spokesman F.L. Tyler said. "It was attempting to make an emergency landing here at Shannon Airport."
State Police and the FAA are investigating the incident.
The Wawa on Shannon Park Drive sits less than half-a-mile from Shannon Airport.
Regina Coppage, who manages River Heights mobile home park near airport, said recent airplane issues have her concerned about the safety of people living in her community.
“It’s a little ridiculous. The other one was two weeks ago with a suicide over here. They fly too low,” Coppage said. "There are 187 homes over there. A lot of children. Are the children going to be playing in a cul-de-sac one day and a plane is going to come down on top of them? It makes your mind wonder, what’s going on?"
“That’s a blessing [no one got hurt] it really is," Coppage said. "How he managed to keep it from going in the middle of Route 2, that’s amazing too. But it’s scary."
