• Small plane crashes in field near LV airport; pilot, co-pilot walk away

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  • A small plane crashed into a cornfield near Lehigh Valley International Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday evening. The two men aboard were not hurt seriously.
    A Cherokee-model aircraft was taking off at 6:35 p.m. when witnesses heard a sputtering sound and saw the plane descending east of Catasauqua.
    Firefighters and airport workers rushed to the area and searched the woods and fields for more than a half-hour before the pilot radioed he was trying to find his way out of the corn with a flashlight.
    The pilot and his co-pilot, the only passenger, emerged from the field along Willowbrook Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, about 7:15 p.m.
    "We have the pilot and co-pilot here," a firefighter radioed. "I've got both of them with me. They're both fine."
    An ambulance crew was sent to evaluate the two men.
    Firefighters found the aircraft about 7:45 p.m., but it was not clear how much damage was done in the emergency landing. The plane ended up near the border of Hanover and Allen townships.
    Airport spokeswoman Susan Kittle said she had no report on damage, but the two men aboard the plane were well.
    "What we know is it was a small general aviation aircraft taking off," she said. "The aircraft landed in a field off Runway 1331, off of Willowbrook Road. The pilot and co-pilot are fine and the aircraft has been found."
    Kittle said the airport will conduct an investigation. She said local authorities will be part of the inquiry, but as of Friday night, the Federal Aviation Administration was not involved.
    Local officials sealed off the field around the plane late Friday and advised the pilot, co-pilot and plane owner that they should return Saturday morning for the investigation.
    Also Friday night, a local farmer began cutting corn to give emergency workers and investigators a clear path to the plane.
    Distributed by MCT Information Services
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