Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Highway 64 Near Muskogee

A small, fixed-wing aircraft made a hard landing on southbound Highway 64 near Muskogee around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13. The Piper Cherokee came in low over some trees then nosed down on the highway, a News On 6 viewer said.

It landed safely - with damage to the nose and propeller - coming to rest just off the roadway near Smith Ferry Road.

Lieutenant Josh Jenkins of the Muskogee Police Department said the pilot had been doing a flyover of Muskogee and was coming back to the airport when the plane lost power for an unknown reason.

A military helicopter was in the air and set down to check on the pilot, according to a witness. The military helicopter left the scene after other emergency crews arrived, he said.

Firefighters and ambulance personnel responded and helped the pilot and a passenger out of the plane. Neither were hurt, according to police.

The plane is registered to a man from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The Piper was towed away to Davis Field before the FAA arrived because it was in the public right of way.