A single-engine Cessna crashed just north of Eppley Airfield Thursday around 4:30 a.m. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot and sole occupant of the plane was uninjured.
The crash happened as the pilot, en route from Montana, was attempting to land at Eppley. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was taken Creighton University Medical Center as a precaution. The hospital told Channel 6 News he was released a short time later.
The Cessna 180 is owned by Stephen Walters, a dentist who resides in Butte, Montana. It's not clear if he was the pilot.
By daylight the plane could be seen resting just at the edge of a pond on the perimeter of the Eppley property. Damage was visible to the wing and the tail of the plane.
Eppley executive director Steve Coufal said the pilot reported engine problems just before crashing. The weather at the time was clear and calm. Investigators say the pilot hadn't filed a flight plan.
Early in the investigation Abbott Drive, the main route to the airport, was closed down, but there was no major disruption of operations at the airport itself and the road was soon reopened.
