Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing Near Soccer Practice In Staten Island Park

Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing Near Soccer Practice In Staten Island Park

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A small plane made an emergency landing near a Staten Island high school, interrupting soccer practice.

The Piper PA-19 plane touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Miller Field behind New Dorp High School.

Police said the plane came from 30 miles away in Somerset and was towing a banner. The pilot reported bad weather and fog.

“He came around this way, he dropped the banner here, and he went by the school,” one witness told CBS2.

“He turned around and flew up a little in the air, came back around, then decided to come down to landing – feet away from kids playing soccer,” said another witness, John Consalvo.

It may have been too close for comfort, but no one was hurt.

CBS2 asked the pilot whether he was nervous, and he replied, “no.”

Miller Field used to be an Army airfield. Before it was deactivated in 1969, it was the last grass runway in New York City.

While the plane made a relatively smooth landing, it was shocking to those who know the field as a much different place.

“I was sitting in my car and saw a plane coming by the water, and it was flying very low, and it looked like it was having problems trying to steer,” Consalvo said. “I just was sitting there mesmerized.”

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May 02, 2019 at 04:29PM